demons

May

06

Review: In The End, Alexandra Rowland

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 2 comments

In The End (Goodreads)
Author: Alexandra Rowland (website)
Follow @_alexrowland

Rating:

The Fallen Angel Lucien never expected the world to end. Inconveniently enough, it did. He and Lalael, an angel of the Higher Realm, are abandoned to make their way in what’s left of the world.

It has changed, however. Uncountable humans have died or vanished, and leftover groups are determined to survive however they can, fighting off new dangers and killing anything they do not understand.

But demons were not the only thing released into the world at the End: A strange new power fills the world, and no one knows what this might bring.

Details

Series: Stand alone
Genre: Paranormal/Apocalyptic Fantasy
Published: Self-published, June 2012
Pages: 299
My copy: from the Author for review

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Createspace
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Smashwords • Barnes & Noble

Or you can download the first couple of chapters for free, here!

Review

I seem to have ended up reading quite a few apocalyptic angel/demon stories lately. I thought that In the End would be another slightly depressing, fire and brimstone end-of-the-world thriller, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find that, as well as being quite thrilling at times, this story is also very funny. The blurb doesn’t really give that away at all, but yes, this is a snarky comedy.

The Fallen Angel Lucien has been based on earth for several years now, and is just starting to wonder if he might be able to stay here forever when the trumpets sound and the Last Days arrive. The souls of the believers are taken, and Lucien rushes to the battle ground and sees the hosts of Heaven (Ríel) and Hell (Rielat) fighting for supremacy. In the confusion he runs into an angel who mistakes Lucien for a demon and tries to kill him, but as they are fighting, the battle somehow ends and the angels and demons disappear, leaving Lucien and the somewhat bewildered angel, Lalael, stranded. Lalael is angry and confused as to why he should be left behind, not to mention baffled as to why Lucien, a fallen and cursed angel, should be so kind to him. Lucien takes Lalael back to his apartment to meet his cat, Antichrist. The unlikely friends must try to find their place in this new, post-apocalyptic world, and maybe even find a way back to Ríel.

Firstly, let me just say that Alexandra Rowland is certainly a talented author. This story gripped me all the way through – the action scenes were brilliant and the banter between Lalael and Lucien, while occasionally silly, lifted the whole tone of the story. The two angels have very strong personalities and their relationship is the highlight of this story for me. Loved them, need more please!

There were, however, some things that genuinely confused me about this story. The plotline is a little odd. Here we are, travelling from one community of humans to the next trying to find somewhere to fit in, when Jocelin shows up and the whole story just changes into something in quite a different direction. I’m still not sure who or what Jocelin is and what Jocelin is supposed to represent. Also, we never find out what happened to Ríel and the souls taken from earth. I really hope there’s another story coming to follow up, because the whole tale felt a little unfinished to me.

My issues with plot aside, I really did enjoy reading In the End. It’s a very dry and witty take on the apocalypse, and a well-written debut. I hope there’s more to come from Lucien and Lalael!

Warnings: Strong violence including torture.

What did others think of In the End?

“I recommend In The End if you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman style fiction. It’s a really unique novel well worth a read.” - Once Upon a Time
“The language is playful and mood-appropriate. The creativity is humbling. It is sophisticated entertainment.” - Heather McNamara
“…I was really impressed that the humour in In the End felt genuine and the characters were so skilfully brought to life in just a few sentences. Well…for the most part.” - SFF Chat

Apr

25

Review: The Seers, MD Kaczkowski

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 1 comments

Title: The Seers: New World Order (Goodreads)
Author: M.D. Kaczkowski (website)

Rating:

The Seers introduces a world where good battles evil for the world’s soul. The fate of humanity rests in the hands of the Seers, a handful of humans with the rare ability to see the unseen, who call their Angels into action to do battle with Demons.

NYPD Detective John Scarcepho is investigating the murder of dozens of homeless who are dead with their eyes surgically removed. As he tracks down what he believes is a crazed serial killer, he discovers that he has special powers that he had suppressed as a child. He is drafted into saving humanity by empowering his unrivalled abilities, but self-doubt, temptation, and anger challenge his ability to harness his gift for good.

This captivating, fast-paced story blends two classic genres: part apocalypse and part detective story. Through the characters’ lives, readers are introduced to the prophets of humanity, known as the Seers. Between chapters, Dr. John Alderson, a well-traveled Seer-physician, shares his inside knowledge and encourages readers to delve deeper by guiding them to sections in The Seers’ Handbook, which makes up the final third of the book. Welcome to the universe of The Seers. Your journey has only just begun.

Details

Series: Stand alone (for now)
Genre: Paranormal fantasy
Published: Scilestial Fiction Press, March 2013
Pages: 304 (story 227)
My copy: For review via Media Connect

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com• Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

The world as we know it is breaking down – country after country is rejecting democracy and installing a single leader – King, Emperor or Dictator. Meanwhile, in the USA, ex-cop-turned-PI John Scarcepho is investigating a series of murders in which the victims’ eyes have been removed surgically and the sockets filled with sea water. He is approached by a strange man who introduces him to the world of the Seers, a group of people with the ability to see into the spirit world and observe the battles between angels and demons for the souls of the living. As it turns out, John has a particularly powerful Archangel as his guardian, but can he gain enough control of his new power to save the world from Lucifer’s control?

The Seers is not just a story, although it is a rather enjoyable page-turning thriller. It is also a new experience in multimedia storytelling, backed by a wealth of information available to the reader through QR Codes and links at the end of each chapter, plus the extensive Seer’s Handbook in the back of the volume.

At the end of each chapter, the QR code links the reader to a page on the seers website containing information about the subject matter in that chapter. Sometimes it is just links to sections of the Handbook to further explain concepts. Other chapters contain links to news articles, videos or real-world organisations that were mentioned in the story. It’s an interesting way to get access to information about aspects of the story and adds a lot of extra depth.

Even though I found the extra information interesting when I did look at it, I found it was a little distracting at first having to pick up my phone after every chapter. After a few chapters I just kept reading the story, and only went back to look into the information further after I was finished. The way the info is linked means that you can look at as much or as little of it as you wish, and wow, there is a lot of it to take in.

Although it is stated in the start of the book that it is a work of fiction, it’s quite clear that the author has put in years of research into belief systems around the world and painstakingly collected the resources into this accessible format. It has to be assumed that he believes in the tenets to a certain degree, and at times the story itself did come across as a bit “preachy”, showing the reader that their soul is being harmed by such vices as greed, lust, arrogance and vanity and that only your guardian angel is keeping you from being possessed by a demon. That said, if you read it from the point of view of an urban paranormal fantasy, it’s a very well put together system and quite an enjoyable story. The writing itself may lack some of the finesse of a veteran author, but The Seers is still a very enjoyable debut novel and an interesting concept in the future of storytelling.

Warnings: Graphic violence

Apr

15

Review: The Dirty Streets of Heaven, Tad Williams

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Title: The Dirty Streets of Heaven (Goodreads)
Author: Tad Williams (website) Follow @tadwilliams

Rating:

Bobby Dollar is an angel—a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own—pride, anger, even lust.

But his problems aren’t all his fault. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new kid that Heaven has dropped into their midst, a trainee angel who asks too many questions. And he sure as hell doesn’t trust the achingly gorgeous Countess of Cold Hands, a mysterious she-demon who seems to be the only one willing to tell him the truth.

When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing, catching both Heaven and Hell by surprise, things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. End-of-the-world bad. Beast of Revelations bad. Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get—in Heaven, on Earth, or anywhere else he can find them.

Details

Series: Bobby Dollar #1
Genre: Paranormal fantasy with a side of detective work
Published: Hodder & Stoughton, September 2012
Pages: 406

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

It’s been a long while since I read anything from Tad Williams. Since I absolutely loved his Otherland series, I was interested in what his spin on an angels and demons story would be in the first of this new paranormal series. As it turns out, he pulls it off amazingly well.

Bobby Dollar, or Deloriel, is an angel – or more accurately, an Advocate of Heaven. After death, each person’s soul is judged on their actions and it is decided whether they go to Heaven, Hell, or spend some time in Purgatory. Bobby’s job is to argue the case for Heaven – to try to spin the life of the recently deceased into something positive that will get them into Heaven. The demons who argue Hell’s case are pretty nasty guys, but even they are worried and upset when souls start going missing after death, without being judged. Bobby Dollar realises he is in serious trouble when he is accused of stealing something valuable from one of the higher Demons, and he doesn’t even know what it is he is supposed to have stolen! The Hellspawn are angry though, and they’ll go to any lengths to get back what is theirs.

Don’t be put off by the whole religious subject matter – this is Fantasy rather than Christian lit, after all, and the business of which religion actually gets it right is glossed over rather well – the Angels just don’t know that, they onlt know they serve Heaven and the Highest. The concepts explored in this story are fascinating – from the whole hierarchy of Angels and the society of Heaven and Hell, to the mysterious Third Way and what happens when we start to question the reasoning of those who are supposed to be acting in our best interests.

There’s a lot of explanation at the start of the book, which is probably necessary to explain the complicated nature of what happens after death. There’s quite a lot of action throughout the book including car and motorbike chases, shoot-outs and even a boat chase (James Bond, anyone?), but the action is often interspersed with Bobby doing his gumshoe work to find out what’s going on – something I found slowed the pace dramatically. Perhaps that’s just because I don’t particularly like cop dramas that much. I did wonder why, as an advocate for souls with guardian angels to tell him about the lives of the recently deceased, did Bobby have such an extensive network of informants and hackers at his disposal? He never mentions having to do other kinds of “spook” work for his bosses.

The descriptions are fabulous – of Heaven, of the Outside, even of San Judas itself. I think this story would make a great screenplay because I could almost see the scenes coming together as I read them, and the humour is spot on and had me giggling to myself on the train.

What really made this story stand out for me was Bobby Dollar himself. He’s snarky and often unpleasant, but at the core, a really decent, funny and good guy. If I was using D&D terms, I’d call him “chaotic good” – his methods may be unorthodox but his intentions are always for the best. I really hope one day, there’s an angel like him on my side!

The Dirty Streets of Heaven was a very enjoyable story – fans of Williams should enjoy it, and well as anyone interested in a different take on the Heaven/Hell mythos. I’ve seen it compared in Goodreads reviews to Supernatural, and to the Dresden Files series (neither of which I’ve seen or read – perhaps I should!).

The second in this series, Happy Hour in Hell, is due for release sometime later this year.

Warnings: Graphic violence including torture, explicit sex scenes.

What did others think of The Dirty Streets of Heaven?

“While far from perfect, The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a really fantastic book. Set against a fascinating religious backdrop, brimming with all sorts of exciting ideas, and maintaining a seamless blend of action and humor throughout its entire length, everything here is worth reading.” - The Ranting Dragon
“Bobby Dollar is every inch the sarcastic, self important maverick detective he should be, happy to pursue even his friends past the limit of patience and willing to take risks with his job (and his life) in his search for answers.” – The Upcoming
“I will admit the Angel and Demon warfare aspect of this book is what I enjoyed the most; Williams added some interesting concepts and blended some theology in as well and I think it balanced out nicely.” – Literary Exploration

Feb

04

Review: The Water Witch, Carol Goodman

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 0 comments

Title: Water Witch (Goodreads)
Author: Carol Goodman (or her pseudonym, Juliet Dark)

Rating:

“You have only to call my name to bring me back”, he whispered, his breath hot in my ear. “You have only to love me to make me human”.

Callie McFay is the guardian of the last gateway between the world of Faerie and mankind. Seduced by a powerful incubus demon, she has succeeded in banishing Liam to the Borderlands but he still haunts her dreams, tempting her with the knowledge of how to bring him back. But loving an incubus usually ends in death for a human. For her own sake Callie must learn to control her desires and ensure Liam remains trapped for all eternity in his watery prison.

Only there is a more dangerous creature than Liam in the Borderlands. The Water Witch is also looking for a way back…

Details

Series: Fairwick Chronicles #2
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Published: Ebury Press, September 2012 (will be published February 13, 2013 in the USA by Ballantine – Random House)
Pages: 339
My Copy: The publisher via Netgalley

Paper copies: Amazon.com (pre-order) • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Please note: This review is for the second book in this series, so contains spoilers for the first book, Incubus/The Demon Lover. You may wish to go and read my review of that book instead!

Review

Note: The Water Witch was published in the US under Carol Goodman’s pseudonym, Juliet Dark.

Callie McFay is a doorkeeper – the only one who can open the last remaining door to Faerie in the woods near Fairwick. The society of witches called the Grove have decided that the door is too dangerous to remain open – it has been letting in all manner of creatures including the Incubus who attacked Callie a few months previously. They want it shut, for ever. Callie and the supernatural creatures who call Fairwick home do not agree and decide to do everything within their power to keep the door open.

US cover

Meanwhile, despite her best intentions, Callie is still desperately missing her Incubus lover, Liam. She travels to faerie and meets up with him there, but when she returns she starts having strange dreams again. Could Liam be back?

Water Witch is an enjoyable sequel to Incubus. We get to see the development of Callie’s powers, but the romantic aspects of the story that were in the forefront of Incubus are not so important in Water Witch. In fact, Callie has less actual sex with anyone and has more imaginary dream sex again. Also she falls for no less than three separate men over the course of this book. I’m starting to think Callie is… how can I put this delicately? Impressionable, perhaps?

The story is once again smart and quite funny at times. The secondary characters really develop well and bring out their interesting personalities.

One of the main problems I had with Incubus was that the story consisted of a few exciting events, interspersed with boring college life. Water Witch has none of that – in fact the entire story plays out within the space of a few weeks during the college vacation, so this book is free to contain pretty much all action. And it does!

Callie’s poor Incubus doesn’t get much of a go in this book, although there is some raunchy action early on in the story. Without giving anything away, Callie really frustrated me with her inability to see the obvious right in front of her. The second half of the story was really quite predictable and I found it a shame. Once again, we’re left on a cliffhanger so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next!

Warnings: Graphic sexual content.

What did others think of Water Witch?

“It was an entertaining read, but very high on the cheese factor.” – The Book Stop
“I desperately wanted to know what would happen on each page. I was also hoping a heavy branch would fall on Callie’s grandmother.” – Fangs, Wands & Fairy Dust
“Callie Callie Callie… what are we going to do with you?? She seems to be a lovely girl, but someone you just want to smack upside the head for all the lousy decisions she makes!” – Book Chick City

Dec

20

Review: Incubus, Carol Goodman

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 1 comments

Title: Incubus (Goodreads) or The Demon Lover in the US
Author: Carol Goodman (or her pseudonym, Juliet Dark)

Rating:

Dr. Callie McFay travels to the small college town of Fairwick in New York State for a job interview. Despite it being her second choice she finds herself talked into accepting a job offer from the Folklore Department to teach a class on demons and vampires. She also finds herself drawn to an old house in the woods where Gothic novelist Dahlia LaMotte used to live and buys it on a whim, despite the seeming reluctance of the estate agent to sell it to her.

But on the night of her job interview, she had a very vivid erotic dream about a man made out of shadows and moonlight, and this dream becomes a regular occurrence when she moves into her new home. Callie starts to feel like a heroine in one of the gothic novels she teaches as slowly it dawns on her that things at the college – and in her home – are not what they seem. She learns that her house is supposed to be haunted by LaMotte’s former lover and her new – and rather strange – colleagues tell her an unfamiliar fairy tale about an incubus-demon with a human past who was enchanted by a fairy queen…

Details

Series: Fairwick Chronicles #1
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Published: Ebury Press, July 2011
Pages: 466

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Note: Incubus was published in the US as The Demon Lover, under Carol Goodman’s pseudonym, Juliet Dark. It is called Incubus in the UK and Australia.

This is where all stories start, on the edge of a dark wood…

I started reading this book thinking it was a YA paranormal romance (perhaps based on the look of the cover?) – but from the first chapter it certainly is not! There are some quite erotic scenes all the way through, so be warned!

US Cover

Callie has had erotic dreams featuring a shadowy stranger since she was a teenager, but since coming to live in the town of Fairwick, a few hours drive from New York City, she’s been having more of them. Her supposedly haunted house is not all that it seems and the woods in the back yard are home to some strange and dangerous creatures. Then, Callie discovers there is also more to the staff and students at Fairwick College than meets the eye. Callie’s struggles now include a strange presence in her house plus fitting into supernatural society, not to mention the freezing weather.

The premise and folklore of this story are very well-designed and those who love Celtic mythology should enjoy the many references to fairies and other creatures. It reminded me somewhat of Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches in its paranormal society and academia, and the sexy parts were quite True Blood. The writing was lovely to read and contains plenty of references not just to literary classics but also to modern pop culture.

Unfortunately, the plot did not flow well. Callie seems to flit here and there, does this thing, then she does that. There are a series of exciting events that happen every now and then, but the rest is filled with rather drab day-to-day college happenings. I felt that quite a lot could have been removed without damaging the story, especially in the first half of the book. I was slightly baffled when Liam turned up, but it didn’t take me long to work out what was happening and after that the rest was quite predictable.

Callie didn’t seem like such a strong heroine and she doesn’t get much of a chance to try out her magical abilities, but I actually really liked Liam and I hope that the second book will bring more from him! I also enjoyed reading about the town of Fairwick and the staff and students of the college – the extra characters were the saving grace of this story, especially Ralph!

Despite the things I didn’t like about the story, I’ll read the second book in the series, The Water Witch – I’m very curious to find out what happens next.

Warnings: Graphic sexual content.

What did others think of Incubus?

“Steamy and nuanced, but ultimately a fairly predictable entrance into the already overcrowded paranormal romance genre.” – Kirkus Reviews
“If only it were just about the incubus, the story would’ve progressed and ended faster, but no; I was surprised toencounter a whole assortment of paranormal and magical creatures…” – 4 stars – My Library in the Making
“Such as the Gothic romances Callie references, this novel is rich in atmospheric prose and mystery. As a book lover and avid reader and hoarder of books, I can’t say how much I loved Callie’s constant references to literature and her talk of how many books she owned.” – 6/10 – All the Books I Can Read

Dec

16

Review: Jack Templar: Monster Hunter, Jeff Gunhus

Reviews / Tour Posted by Angelya / 4 comments

Welcome to The Oaken Bookcase’s stop on the Jack Templar Monster Hunter tour! Following my review, there are links to a whole lot of other articles about this book.

Warning: Only proceed if you are absolutely sure you want to find out about Monster Hunters. Reading this book will almost certainly cause a load of monsters to descend on your house. There’s no backing out if you suddenly get scared of zombies or vampires! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Title: Jack Templar Monster Hunter (Goodreads)
Author: Jeff Gunhus (@JTmonsterhunter)

Rating:

Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack’s fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him.

At first it’s great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend “T-Rex” from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he’s the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he’s destined to be in the family business. Second, that there’s a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits…until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.

Details

Series: Jack Templar #1
Genre: Middle-grade/Teen Fantasy
Published: Seven Guns Press, October 2012
Pages: 196

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • IndieBound

Review

Jack is an ordinary thirteen-year-old with the usual problems at school, but a few days before his fourteenth birthday, things start getting really weird. He’s suddenly a bit taller, stronger and faster, people start looking strangely at him in the street and his teachers start to go slightly mad. Jack thinks he’s the one going crazy, but then Eva shows up and reveals the world of the monster hunters to Jack and his two friends, Will and T-Rex.

As it turns out, monsters leave Monster Hunters’ children like Jack alone until they’re fourteen years old, then they’ll all be trying to kill him. Since Jack never actually knew much about his parents or the details of how they died, this is all rather overwhelming. He deals with the whole situation remarkably well though, and is kicking Creach butt before you can say “hey, here comes a horde of zombies!”.

Jack’s first person telling of this story is funny and rather dry, and very enjoyable. There are some rather adult concepts in this book including losing one’s parents, sacrifice and overcoming the odds, but it’s written about in a very accessible way and I think any young teen would love reading it. There’s plenty of non-stop action and at less than 200 pages, it’s quite a quick read.

Just be warned, the first chapter tells in no uncertain terms that reading this book will bring a horde of the Creach down upon your house, so read at your own risk. (Seriously, what a brilliant first chapter, I loved it!). Also, if you haven’t checked out the website, there’s plenty more monster hunter info there!

I really enjoyed this introduction to Jack’s world and I’ll be keeping my eye out for future Templar Chronicles!

Warnings: Some violence.

About the Author:

Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

The Tour

Visit the tour site at Girl Who Reads to see the full tour information, including a Giveaway with some awesome swag.

There will also be a Twitter party hosted by Jeff on Friday, Dec. 21, 6 pm – 8 pm EST. If you have survived the numerous monster attacks that you will undoubtedly face, chat with us using the hashtag #JackTemplar. The easiest way to join the party is with http://tweetchat.com/

Dec. 3 Kid Lit Reviews Character Guest Post
Dec. 4 Breath of Life Review, Character guest post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 5 It’s About Time Mamaw Review, Character Guest Post and swag giveaway
Dec. 6 Double the Fun Day
Mrs Mommy Booknerd’s Book Reviews Author Guest Post and swag giveaway
Mom With A Kindle Character Interview
Dec. 7 Tamara’s One Stop Indie Shop Guest Post and swag giveaway
Dec. 8 Loves 2 Read Review, Character Guest Post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 9 Italian Brat’s Obsessions Review, Character Guest Post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 10 Alli’s World Character Guest Post and swag giveaway
Dec. 11 Book Him Danno Review, Character Guest Post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 12 Double the Fun Day
Fairday’s Blog! Review
The Preppy Girl in Pink Guest Post
Dec. 13 Here’s The Story Review, Author Guest Post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 14 Fairday’s Blog! Author Interview and swag giveaway
Dec. 15 Bunny’s Review Character Interview and swag giveaway
Dec. 16 The Oaken Bookcase Review!
Dec. 17 Larkin’s Book Bloggers Review, Author Guest Post, and Swag Giveaway
Dec. 18 Double the Fun Day
Keeping Up With The Rheinlander’s Author Interview and swag giveaway
Geo Librarian Review, Character Guest Post, and swag giveaway
Dec. 19 Double the Fun Day
Pulling Down Books Review
Girl Who Reads Author Guest Post
Dec. 20 Rumor Has It Review, Character Guest Post, Swag Giveaway
Dec. 21 Ali’s Bookshelf Author Guest Post and swag giveaway

Nov

22

Review: Days of Blood and Starlight, Laini Taylor

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight (Goodreads)
Author: Laini Taylor (@lainitaylor)

Rating:

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.

Details

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Little & Brown, November 6, 2012
Pages: 528

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble • Bookworld (epub)

Review

Please note: This review is for the second in the series, and so contains spoilers for book one: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. You may wish to read my review of that book instead!

The Angels have won – the lands of the Chimaera are ravaged, the cities destroyed and the people are being hunted down and exterminated or taken into slavery. Karou has become the new resurrectionist, holed up in a Kasbah in the deserts of Morocco building new bodies for the White Wolf’s army, and she suspects that Thiago isn’t telling her all that he’s up to on the other side of the rift. Meanwhile, Akiva is struggling with his place in the Misbegotten, heart-sick with what he has done to Karou and with what he and his brethren have been ordered to do to the fleeing Chimaeran survivors.

If it’s been a while since you read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, you might like to take a quick flick-through to remind yourself of what happened – there isn’t really much of a recap at the start of Days of Blood and Starlight and I had a bit of trouble catching up with what was happening.

Because this book is the second in a trilogy, it is the middle section of a story of war. Sadly that makes this a very dark and often disturbing telling of the events taking place in the two worlds – there is very little of the romance that made Daughter of Smoke and Bone so amazing. Days of Blood and Starlight is a very important part of the overall story, although not a particularly enjoyable one, being an occasionally horrifying account of the persecution of the defeated Chimaera and of the torment of the few soldiers on both sides that question their own orders. It is a story of compassion and love, locked in an epic struggle against the machinations of evil warlords on both sides. It makes for an emotionally raw experience but is certainly building up toward a big finale.

The romantic elements aren’t completely missing from this instalment, although they are much more anguished and desperate. The first time Karou and Akiva come face-to-face in this book – wow. I was riveted! I cannot wait to see how it all plays out in book 3.

As before, the supporting cast is brilliant. Karou’s best friend Zuzana and her boyfriend Mik play a significant role in this book and I’m so glad – they are so whimsical and adorable and bring just the right amount of light-hearted wit into the story to alleviate the despair. Akiva’s brother- and sister-in-arms also lend their quirky humour to the events, as well as their wisdom and support to the cause. Thiago makes the perfect villain – a beautiful and talented leader, but a chillingly evil psychopath at the same time.

Days of Blood and Starlight is a beautifully crafted roller-coaster ride from the depths of despair to a bright burst of hope, and back again. Laini Taylor’s writing is emotional and compelling – make sure you’ve got a few hours to sit down and read this one, because it won’t let you go! I’d happily recommend this series to all fantasy fans.

Warnings: Graphic violence, abusive situations.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor

Book 3 coming in 2013!

What did others think of Days of Blood and Starlight?

“Shit has well and truly hit the fan. Oh look, apocalypse. How fun!” – 5 stars – Escape Through the Pages
“I feel the need to revisit Laini’s magnificent prose. Her writing is captivating and engaging, provoking vast feeling in you as a reader. She a way with words that not many other writers have (like Karen Marie Moning and Lauren Oliver), and it kept me enthralled every moment of the way, greedily gobbling up every word.” – 5 stars – Auntie Spinelli Reads
“Days of Blood & Starlight is a gorgeously written, vividly drawn, page-turner. Absolutely recommended for anyone loving a epic tale that is bigger than a romance, unique in its approach to age old creatures, and full of characters you can’t help but love (or hate as the case may be.)” – 5 stars – Refracted Light Reviews

Nov

12

Tour: Review: Angelkiller and Traitor Angel, H. David Blalock

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 3 comments

Welcome to The Oaken Bookcase’s stop on the Traitor Angel tour! In this post you will find my reviews for both books one (Angelkiller) and two (Traitor Angel) in this trilogy. Make sure to stop by the other stops on the tour for more opinions and other goodies!

Title: Angelkiller (Goodreads)
Author: H. David Blalock

Rating:

Why do bad things happen to good people? Simple. In the ancient war between the Angels of Light and Darkness, the Dark won. Now it is the job of an undercover force simply known as The Army to rectify that.

Using every tool available, The Army has worked to liberate our world from The Enemy for thousands of years, slowly and painfully lifting Mankind out of the dark. On the front of the great Conflict are the Angelkillers, veterans of the fight with centuries of experience.

Details

Series: The Angelkiller Triad #1
Genre: Paranormal Sci-fi/Fantasy
Published: Seventh Star Press, 2011
Pages: 207
My copy: From the publisher for the tour

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

The Conflict between the Light and the Dark has been raging for centuries. Jonah Mason is a veteran in The Army, working to free mankind from the clutches of evil. Together with his fellow soldiers and an impressive array of high-tech wizardary, they are gradually gearing up for what could be the battle of their lives.

Set in the near future, Mason and the members of his cell have been using full-virtual-reality MMORPGs (online games, for the uninitiated) as the most secure meeting points. At least, they did until their security is breached and a Minion of the Enemy pays them a visit, offering a deal that could strike a decisive blow in the Conflict.

I’ll admit, the cover and title of Angelkiller did not entice me to pick up a copy of this one during Seventh Star’s open day a couple of months ago, but I’m so pleased I took part in this tour because I really enjoyed reading these two books. They are both fairly short reads which did make them feel a little like one longer work that was broken up into parts, but in the case of this first part, that is not a problem. Occasionally I felt the descriptions of events did not flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but in general the writing style is very enjoyable. There are even a few black and white drawings dispersed throughout the story to aid in visualisation of events!

In Angelkiller, We’re dropped into the action right away with only a few flashbacks to give us context about the cell and their activities in the Conflict. This is a Good versus Evil story on a grand scale, and the author has done a fantastic job of creating the history of the Conflict through the characters and their stories. Even though there are angels and demons involved and plenty of references to “the Master”, this is not a preachy story.

The tension in Angelkiller is brilliant – gradually building up to a tense showdown that was described in loving detail. I was very pleased to have Traitor Angel on hand to carry on with right away!

Title: Traitor Angel (Goodreads)
Author: H. David Blalock

Rating:

Jonah Mason, called Angelkiller, faces more than one decision. His Army resistance cell is wounded physically and emotionally, on the brink of falling apart. The mysterious allies calling themselves Knights are pressuring him to abandon his people. Meanwhile, the world outside draws closer to Armageddon.

As Mason and his friends pursue their campaign against Dorian Azrael’s global megacorporation, Andlat Enterprises, the stakes get higher with each desperate foray into the enemy’s computers. They are fated to lose one of their number and gain an unlikely ally, but any advantage they gain could be fleeting at best.

Details

Series: The Angelkiller Triad #2
Genre: Paranormal Sci-fi/Fantasy
Published: Seventh Star Press, October 2012
Pages: 228
My copy: From the publisher for the tour

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

In this second book in the Angelkiller Triad, Mason and his cell must try to decipher the files recovered from Azazel, work out who the mysterious Andrael is and try to take down the corporation headed by Azrael.

I felt this instalment suffered from being the middle part in this larger story – there was quite a lot more talking and plotting and nowhere near as much action as there was in Angelkiller, but it does feel like it’s all building up to something amazing in the final part.

The events of Traitor Angel opened up quite a few new questions – who captured Martin and what has happened to him? We only get hints of what is happening in the rest of the world – there’s something brewing in the Middle East, but what? Also, there were tantalising glimpses of what cities are like in this time (in the USA, at least). We are only told that travel is restricted and most people don’t need to commute, but that’s about all. Perhaps it’s not relavent to the story, but I hope part of the third book is set in a city so we can see the society at work!

Even though I didn’t enjoy Traitor Angel as much as Angelkiller, I will be very interested in reading the third part of this Triad. I love a Good versus Evil battle, especially when the combatants are as bad-arse as the Army and the Knights!

Warnings: Supernatural scary bits, but clean.

About the Author

H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in print and online in over three dozen publications, spanning every format from short stories to novels, non-fiction articles to screenplays. He is also editor of parABnormal Digest for Sam’s Dot Publishing. To find out more visit his website at www.thrankeep.com.

The Tour

10/29 Great Minds Think Aloud – Review
10/30 Splash of Our Worlds – Character Post
10/31 A Book Vacation – Guest Post
11/1 The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia – Excerpt
11/2 JeanzBookReadNReview – Interview
11/3 Vilutherial Reviews – Interview
11/4 Crossroads Reviews – Review
11/5 The Bunny’s Review – Character Interview
11/6 Ali’s Bookshelf – Review
11/7 Red Headed Bookworm  - Guest Post
11/8 Azure Dwarf Horde of SciFi & Fantasy – Review
11/9 From the Bootheel Cotton Patch  - Character Post
11/10 A Few Words – Review
11/11 The Independent Review - Review
11/12 The Oaken Bookcase – Review
11/13 Beauty in Ruins – Interview
11/14 Ginger Nuts of Horror – Interview
11/15 Bookishly Me – Review
11/16 Full Moon Bites – Interview
11/17 A Daydreamer’s Thoughts – Guest Post
11/18 Stuck in Books – Guest Post
11/19 Sheila Deeth – Review
11/20 Bee’s Knees Reviews - Review
11/22  Darlene’s Book Nook  - Guest Post
11/23  Book and Movie Dimension – Review
11/24 Jess Resides Here – Interview

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Seventh Star Press author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sep

03

Review: A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness

Reviews Posted by Angelya / 1 comments

Title: A Discovery of Witches (Goodreads)

Author: Deborah Harkness (@DebHarkness)

Rating:

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Details

Series: All Souls Trilogy #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published: Headline, February 2011 (originally published by Viking in Feb 2011)
Pages (paperback): 594

Paper copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Book Depository
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk • Barnes & Noble

Review

Diana Bishop pushed aside her magical abilities when her powerful parents were killed when she was just a child. Years later, she has become a scholar in Alchemy and early sciences without the help of magic, but when she finds a mysterious enchanted manuscript in the Bodleian Library, all sorts of things start to go wrong. First it’s the vampire and geneticist, Matthew Clairmont, who starts following her around. But when other witches and daemons start following her as well, Diana knows she has to find out what is going on.

Wow, where to begin with this book? It’s been a while since I’ve read anything so long and it took me a whole week to get through it.

Viking cover

I’m a little torn with my rating – on one hand, I really loved the world that Deborah Harkness has created, with its witches, vampires and daemons living amongst the ordinary humans with the (unfortunately a little Twilight-esque) Congregation keeping tabs on them all.

On the other hand, there were things about the book that disappointed me. One was the length. At just shy of 600 pages and with rather small text, I would have expected more to actually happen in the story. As it is, we get a blow by blow description of Matthew and Diana sitting around in various houses, reading, drinking tea or wine, and eating. Diana sleeps quite a lot. Every outfit that Diana wears is described. I just felt that there were big sections that could have been left out in order to make the pace a little faster.

There’s so much character development in this book that by the end the main characters were like old friends, and I was more than a bit in love with Matthew. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous, intelligent French vampire around to protect you all the time, even if he is pretty pushy and likes keeping fairly major secrets. Diana, I didn’t like so much. She showed plenty of emotion when the bad things were happening but I had an overall feeling that she was a bit ungrateful. Matthew wants to take her off to France in a private jet? Alright then, whatever. Buys her expensive riding gear so she can take over his stables? Okay, but these shoes are too tight, I can’t get them on. She may be rich herself from her scholarly work (that’s never really revealed) but perhaps a little thanks might be in order? Perhaps a bit of girly excitement? I know I’d be over the moon with gratitude if someone let me play around in their library of ancient texts, and I am in no way a historian.

Okay, this review is starting to sound like I didn’t enjoy the book – honestly, I really did. I kept finding the time to get through it and when the action scenes did happen it was almost impossible to put down. Likewise for the romantic parts – very swoony. I especially loved the settings of Oxford and the castle in France – both very atmospheric settings, but also the house that Sarah and Emily and the ghosts live in. Gorgeous! I also thought it was neat, although slightly off-putting, that Matthew has met nearly every famous personality in Europe in the last thousand years or so. I really enjoyed thinking about what these people might really have been like to meet.

This is a very intelligent book, rich with history and scientific theories of past and present, but also with healthy helpings of humour, action and romance. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the second in the trilogy, A Shadow of Night, which was released back in July.

Warnings: Sexual situations, horror themes.

What did others think of A Discovery of Witches?

“Academia meets magic! The world is full of research musty books and cutting edge research as well as a richly told world of magic and secrets.” – 4/5 – Ellie of Curiosity Killed the Bookworm
“There’s a little something for everyone: magic, history, science, ethics, mystery, romance, action… you get the picture.” – 4.5/5 – Sarah of Sarah Says Read
“There was just way too much detail about Dianna’s job in alchemy, and about Dianna going through old manuscripts, and about Dianna talking a lot about history and discussing why she doesn’t use her powers. ” – 2/5 – Mindy of Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

Jul

30

Review: Fire in the Sea, Myke Bartlett

Discover Aussie Fantasy / Reviews Posted by Angelya / 5 comments

This post is part of the Discover Australian Fantasy feature, running all July on The Oaken Bookcase. Please visit the Aussie Fantasy page to see the other reviews and articles and also to enter the giveaway!

Title: Fire in the Sea (Goodreads)

Author: Myke Bartlett (@mykebartlett)

Rating:

Sadie is sixteen and bored with life in Perth. It’s summer, and lazing on the beach in the stifling heat with her cousins and Tom is a drag. Then something comes out of the sea.

Dark menacing forms attack an old man, leaving him for dead and Sadie wracking her brains to understand what she saw. Then there’s a mysterious inheritance, a strange young man called Jake and a horned beast trampling the back yard.

Sadie finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient conflict that is nearing its final battle, a showdown that threatens to engulf Perth and all those she loves in a furious tsunami.

Details

Series: Stand alone
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: Text Publishing, July 25, 2012
Awards: Text Prize 2011 for Young Adult and Children’s writing
Pages (paperback): 264
My copy: For review from the publisher, thanks!

Paper copies: Text Publishing • Booktopia
E-copies: Amazon.com • Amazon.co.uk

Review

Sadie and her friends are suffering in the heat of a dry Fremantle summer when strange things start to appear out of the sea. Sadie jumps in when an old man is attacked and is unwittingly dragged into an ancient conflict. Now she must help the Guardians recover a powerful artefact before its too late and the wrath of the Gods is provoked.

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and read a whole book in one day, but I did just that with Fire in the Sea. With just the right amount of witty Aussie vernacular interspersed with terrifying confrontations with the enemy, this book had me hooked from start to finish.

After I saw it mentioned that this book was similar to Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising sequence (one of my all-time favourites), I had to get my hands on it. I’d describe it as Over Sea, Under Stone meets Tomorrow, When the War Began - strange happenings in a seaside city, with an Aussie twist and a fair bit more violence.

The characters were what really drew me into the story – the teenagers actually speak to each other like real people do and have (probably) realistic reactions to supernatural events. Also, as a breastfeeding mum I was delighted at the reference to it – not that babies make much of an appearance in fantasy generally speaking, but more boobs please!

There were a couple of parts that didn’t quite make sense to me. One was that I didn’t really get how Sadie was able to get Jake to go along with her plan so easily. I mean, Jake and his team have been doing this for centuries, surely they know what they’re doing by now? Also, what happened to his medallion? Is he mortal now? At the end of the story I was left feeling a little confused as to what had happened to Jake and the rest of the squadron.

I’m not sure if more books are planned to follow on in a series from Fire in the Sea, but the premise of the Gods and their Guardians was very interesting and the whole story flowed very well. I’ll be looking out for Myke Bartlett’s future works no matter what world they’re set in.

Warnings: Plenty of blood and guts, a bit of swearing.

About the Author

Myke Bartlett was born in Perth, and spent his first twenty years trying to escape. Like every other young Australian, he fled to London and, like most of them, didn’t stay.

A trained journalist, Myke writes on politics, movies, pop culture and rock music. His work has been published in THE AGE, DUMBO FEATHER, OVERLAND, TRIPLE J MAGAZINE, METRO, CREAM MAGAZINE and THE BIG ISSUE. (And some other titles that won’t fit into that very long sentence.)

He is the culture journalist for Melbourne magazine THE WEEKLY REVIEW. You can read his weekly column here.

Myke has also written and performed podcasted fiction. His SALMON & DUSK podcasts have sometimes broken into the Top 10 US iTunes Podcast Charts. Which is pretty amazing, really.

He currently lives in Melbourne with his wife and a Boston Terrier called Moxy.