TRAITOR’S BLADE by Sebastien de Castell

August 28, 2014

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The death of their king has left the once proud Greatcoats in ruins. Brought together by an idealistic monarch and tasked with upholding his law, they were the keepers of peace and justice in an otherwise dark and lawless land. But the various dukes, landed gentry throughout the kingdom, banded together to bring down the Greatcoats’ king.

They’re considered the lowest of the low now. Looked down on by the very people they once protected, believed to have failed their king. Since Paelis’s death, Falcio, Brasti, and Kest have been forced to take work where they can. Their latest is the protection of a tradesman who may just be able to bring the Greatcoats together once again. But when their employer is murdered under their watch, they find themselves on the run.

They win positions as guards for another caravan but soon find that their new charge is at the center of another of the dukes’ plots. If the dukes succeed, it would mean chaos for the kingdom as a whole.

This first in Sebastien de Castell’s new series is a swashbuckling fantasy clearly inspired by classic adventure tales the likes of The Three Musketeers. It’s a fun start to what promises to be an exciting series full of action, intrigue, magic, and dirty political plotting.

8/14 Becky Lejeune

TRAITOR’S BLADE by Sebastien de Castell. Jo Fletcher Books (July 15, 2014). ISBN 978-1623658090. 384p.

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THE WOLF by Lorenzo Carcaterra

August 7, 2014

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Carcaterra comes up with a unique novel, quite out of the ordinary. It sets up a war between worldwide organized crime and terrorists.

Vincent Marelli, known as the Wolf, is the leader of a huge crime family who in spite of his best plans to protect his family sees his wife and two girls killed. Besides himself with the loss he decides to exact a terrible vengeance on the people he feels killed them.

Marelli places the blame on terrorists, and selects one active band to start his campaign on. His way is to convince other crime families around the world to help him, indicating that besides exacting his revenge, these people are in the business of murder for murder’s sake and infringing upon organized crime’s territories.

Vincent finds that his closest ally is run by a former love of his that has taken over her father’s gang in Italy. In the course of the action they move close together and except for the fact that neither really trusts the other, move towards their goal.

Leaders of both the terrorists and the members of the crime families are very well fleshed out and the reader comes to understand why they do what they do, and what motivates them besides the huge amounts of money they make. Vincent and Angela, his ex-love, move close to a reconciliation which may occur if another novel with them involved is written. The descriptions of the terrorists and the crime family draws a similarity to the Godfather and the sympathy the reader attains with them. Well done and very absorbing.

8/14 Paul Lane

THE WOLF by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Ballantine Books (July 29, 2014). ISBN 978-0345483942. 320p.

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ALIAS HOOK by Lisa Jensen

July 16, 2014

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For two centuries, James Benjamin Hookbridge has been trapped in Neverland. Forced into battle after battle with the eternal boy Pan, Hook has long since tired of the life. Unfortunately for Hook, there seems to be no way out of the curse that has left him here. Until now.

Lisa Jensen’s Peter Pan retelling is so much fun. Not only is it for adults but it’s told completely from Hook’s perspective. Jensen’s version of the tale paints the nefarious villain in a truly new light giving him new depth via a backstory and history.

I liked, too, that Jensen kind of turns the story on its head without really going too far. Here Pan is actually a dark character, the Lost Boys age out, and there are many Wendys. In spite of all of that, Jensen does manage to stick closely to the essence of the original while deftly and convincingly adding her own spin on the story.

7/14 Becky Lejeune

ALIAS HOOK by Lisa Jensen. Thomas Dunne Books (July 8, 2014). ISBN 978-1250042156. 368p.

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THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen

July 13, 2014

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A #1 Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Selection

 Book 1

Kelsea Raleigh Glynn has been living in anonymity for nineteen years. She is the heir to the Tearling monarchy and keeping her safe until she can claim her throne has been of the utmost importance. In that time Kelsea has been trained for her role as queen, but nothing can truly prepare her for the realities of Tearling.

Kelsea never knew her mother but couldn’t imagine the state in which she left the kingdom at the time of her death. One of her few accomplishments was a treaty with the nearby kingdom of Mortmesne. And while the treaty protected Tearling as a whole from the Red Queen’s wrath, the terms of the treaty were unimaginably horrific. What’s more, Kelsea’s uncle has allowed corruption to seep into every corner of the kingdom while enjoying a base and luxurious existence as ruler in her stead, a position he has no intention of giving up to the rightful queen.

I loved this debut! What at first seems like a medieval based fantasy quickly becomes something much more unique. The world the Tearling exists in is much like our own but was settled during an event called the Crossing when travelers from America, England, and Europe left their land behind to create a new life for themselves.

The specifics of the Crossing are still to be revealed and while I find this part of the tale incredibly intriguing, it is just one piece of what I thought was pretty fantastic world building all around.

The Queen of the Tearling is the first installment in a new series and already set to become a movie. (Rumor has it Emma Watson has been tapped to star.)

7/14 Becky Lejeune

THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING by Erika Johansen. Harper (July 8, 2014). ISBN 978-0062290366. 448p.

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THE MOUNTAIN PLACE OF KNOWLEDGE by Marshall Chamberlain

July 12, 2014

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The Ancestor Series of Adventure-thrillers, Book 1

I recently read the second book in this series and was fascinated by the theme, the descriptions and the plot.  I, therefore, accepted this book from the publisher and was as fascinated as with the other.  The theme is actually one that should be Science Fiction, which it incorporates very well with logical action and motives.

The opening depicts a young Mayan girl living in what is now Belize about 1100 years ago coming upon a cache within a tree when fleeing a Jaguar hunting her.  She climbs the tree finding a control panel which in desperation she operates and enters a passage which opens into a chamber containing marvels unknown to the world.  She uses the tools found that she masters and becomes a priestess to her people, and sets up a diary of her actions and discoveries.

Shifting to present day, the diary is translated and gives enough information to direct a team of UN investigators to go to the area and attempt to open the chamber.  The problems encountered by the team consisting of Mary Ellen Rollins and Dr John Morgan are logical and don’t depend on any super human abilities of the two.  They find a way into the chamber discovering marvels placed there by aliens that visited the earth about 180,000 years ago.  Interludes in the story indicate that these aliens are still monitoring our planet, and it is unclear if they are benevolent or enemies.

Representatives from China become aware of the tree and the material within it. They decide that they must be the ones to acquire it, and attempt to steal it using advanced cloaking technology and weapons.

The book is engrossing, a fast read and is notable in that it uses “normal” situations stretched only with materials that are currently being developed in the world as well as the devices left by the aliens.

I will certainly read the other books in the series, and recommend this as an interesting and well written book.

7/14 Paul Lane

THE MOUNTAIN PLACE OF KNOWLEDGE by Marshall Chamberlain. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 2 edition (November 26, 2013). ISBN 978-1493554355. 458p.

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DEADLY CURIOSITIES by Gail Z. Martin

July 5, 2014

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Charleston’s Trifles & Follies may look like your average antique shop, but in reality it’s so much more. Cassidy Kincaide is just the latest descendant to inherit the shop. They cater to the many antique hounds and interior decorators of the area but their prime focus is handling magical and supernatural items.

Cassidy has the ability to experience an item’s past, something that frequently opens her up to strange and even dangerous visions. But it seems Charleston has lately had an influx of items causing even the most psychically challenged locals to see and experience things that are beyond ordinary.

It soon becomes clear that there’s something strange at work in the historic city. It also seems the strange happenings may be connected to a recent spate of murders and could possibly trace back to the deaths of an underwater salvage team just six months ago. Cassidy and her partners, Sorren (a centuries-old vampire who helped start Trifles & Follies) and Teag (a man gifted with spell weaving) know they’re up against something big but just how big – and how dangerous – is the real question at hand.

Gail Z. Martin has made a name for herself with her epic fantasy series but now she turns an eye to urban fantasy as well. In actuality, the Deadly Curiosities series began with a number of short stories penned by the author. There are a few references to those adventures in the novel but no need to have read the shorts prior to Deadly Curiosities.

Charleston makes for the perfect setting here. The author plays off the city’s history and landmarks but has also cleverly invented people, places, and events unique to the story.

The premise of the series is quite fun but there are a few rocky moments in this first installment. Nonetheless, this is a series that I will be looking forward to more of in the future.

7/14 Becky Lejeune

DEADLY CURIOSITIES by Gail Z. Martin. Solaris (June 24, 2014). ISBN 978-1781082331. 464p.

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DEEP BLUE by Jennifer Donnelly

June 29, 2014

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Waterfire Saga, Book One

Serafina has been preparing for ages for her betrothal ceremony. The ceremony consists of three parts: the first will test her as a true descendant of Merrow’s bloodline; the second is the songspell she must sing to perfection; the third will bind her to her husband-to-be as well as the kingdom of Miromara. Unfortunately, what should be one of the happiest days of her life soon turns tragic as the kingdom is overcome by invaders. Sera’s mother is shot and Sera is forced to run with only her friend Neela by her side. The young mermaid is left with the uncertainty of her mother’s fate – and whether she has now become Regina of Miromara in her place.

With assassins on their tails, the two girls soon come to a shocking realization: the invasion of Miromara is linked to a dream that has been plaguing them both. In the dream, the girls witnessed the Iele (sea witches they thought were only children’s stories) singing of six mermaids tasked with saving the oceans from a creature known as Abbadon. And Sera and Neela aren’t the only ones aware of the Iele’s prophecy. The mer trying to capture them has heard the legend as well and he has no desire at all in seeing Abbadon defeated.

On the one hand Deep Blue is an excellent example of world building. The reader is literally immersed in the undersea setting from the very start. The history and mythology of the world are fascinating and the imagery is vibrant.

On the other hand this teen title reads much younger than I’d expected. Serafina and her peers all come across more flighty and immature than I’d thought they would based on their character set up. They’re all supposed to be about sixteen (or older in some cases) so some of that’s to be expected, especially allowing for the expected coming-of-age bit of character development, but it left me with the overall sense that the best audience for the book is on the early end of the teen spectrum.

6/14 Becky Lejeune
DEEP BLUE by Jennifer Donnelly. Disney-Hyperion (May 6, 2014). ISBN 978-1423133162. 352p.

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DUALED by Elsie Chapman

June 27, 2014

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Some people say that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, but for West Grayer this is her reality.

After the universal cold vaccine left everyone sterile, it was up to science to ensure the continuation of the human race. With war waging everywhere, a small group set off to begin their own city. Citizens of Kersh are protected from the wars of the Surround, and each section of the city produces a necessary commodity. But with the population now healthy and booming, resources have become limited. To ensure that only the strongest and most worthy survive, each child is born with a genetic twin, or alternate. When they come of age, each twin is set with the task of killing their alt in order to complete.

West has lost everyone she loves. Her mother was a PK or peripheral kill, and her father couldn’t take the loss. Her older brother Aave and her younger sister Ehm both died at their alt’s hands. She and her brother Luc are the only ones left until she loses him as well. But now West has to set aside her misery because her own assignment has come up, and her alt is going to be ruthless, set on her own survival.

This new series from Elsie Chapman is dark, dark, dark. It’s a teen read similar in theme to other dystopians (like the Hunger Games) and (also like the Hunger Games) features a strong female lead. In spite of those similarities, Dualed is fairly different from other titles in the dystopian vein. West is an assassin and much of the book takes on an urban warfare kind of feel. There is a romance but it’s almost pushed to the background with the main plot focused on West’s finding and surviving her assignment. The world building and politics are fairly light in this first outing, but are featured more prominently in its sequel, Divided.

6/14 Becky Lejeune

DUALED by Elsie Chapman. Ember; Reprint edition (May 27, 2014). ISBN 978-0307931559. 320p.

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ARCLIGHT by Josin L. McQuein

May 10, 2014

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In Marina’s world there is the dark, the gray, and the Arclight. The Arclight means life to those who are left. Those who are still human. For the Fade, those who populate the dark, light means death and this is what keeps Marina and the rest safe. But one day the Fade find a way inside the Arclight. Now the life humankind has built for itself is at stake and it’s up to Marina, the only person who’s survived life beyond the light, to help save everyone.

I was quite stunned by Arclight. This wasn’t a book I’d heard much about when it was released last year – possibly because the premise is unique enough that no one would want to give away too much. And it is quite different. The reader is thrown into Marina’s world from page one without much explanation at all. I’ll admit I was more than a little confused but stuck it out to see what would be revealed in the pages to come, and I’m so glad that I did.

McQuein’s futuristic setting is one in which technology has overtaken everything. And while those in the Arclight are knowledgeable about things like the scientific achievements that surround them, the truth about their world is kept somewhat secret by those in charge.

 

5/14 Becky Lejeune

ARCLIGHT by Josin L. McQuein. Greenwillow Books; Reprint edition (March 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0062130150. 432p.

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RED RISING by Pierce Brown

March 29, 2014

Darrow was born and raised below the surface of Mars. It is the only life he’s ever known, but it is one of honor. Darrow and his kin are Reds, the first people sent to Mars. The people responsible for mining the very elements that will save Earth and allow the red planet to support life. Their work is hard, but the reward is great. Or so Darrow has always been taught.

Darrow and his people have been kept in the dark for generations; Mars has already been terraformed and settled. The new life they were promised has been kept from them and the Reds are now enslaved to the constant demand for helium-3 as the rest of Society spreads further and further through the galaxy.

But one group knows the truth. That very group wants to enact change and they need Darrow’s help to do so.

This first in Brown’s new trilogy is a powerful debut. The world building alone is magnificent—a terraformed Mars inhabited by a whole world of people, all divided into castes by color based on their professions and power. The Reds are at the bottom and the Golds at the very top. And within those castes, there is even further delineation.

Red Rising is a pretty brutal read, to be quite honest, but one that will surely appeal to both teen and adult dystopian fans.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

RED RISING by Pierce Brown. Del Rey (January 28, 2014). ISBN 978-0345539786. 382p.

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