Novella Review - The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 614 KB
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: June 5, 2012
ASIN: B0085UCUG4
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone (prequel to the The Grisha Trilogy, but separate story)
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is a short story set in the same world as Bardugo’s Grisha series. This story is set in Ravka but it is a prequel (timeline wise) it also follows different characters and is more of a folktale than anything else. The story has a very traditional dark folklore tale feel to it and was absolutely engrossing. I was amazed at what a great story Bardugo wove in such a small space. The characters were absolutely engaging and the story just sucked me right in.

The woods outside of Duva are said to eat girls, at least that has what Nadya has been raised believing. She gets to test the tale when her evil stepmom forces her out of the house at night and she finds herself at the door of the Witch of Duva herself.

Bardugo has said that Hansel and Gretel influenced this folktale, and you can definitely see the influences here...although this tale kind of turns Hansel and Gretel on its head.

Nadya is an excellent heroine, she is so easy to sympathize with. She’s a young girl with an okay life, but then as circumstances change and her father marries another woman and things get worse and worse for her. She is forced into a desperate situation where she must flee into the forest and confront the very thing that has always haunted her.

I was surprised at how engaging and entertaining all of the characters in this story were. They are so well developed and really came alive for me even though this was a very short story.

The suspense behind who/what the witch of Duva is and around the strange case of the disappearing girls is absolutely engrossing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out and predict what was going on.

There are a lot of twists and turns and by the end of the story no one is who you thought they would be and everyone is different from what you initially expected. The ending totally caught me by surprise, but then when I stopped to think about it I realized that there were a lot of carefully hidden hints throughout the story that supported the surprise ending. It takes a very masterful writter to mislead the reader so deftly and pull such a huge twist that is completely surprising but totally seamless with the rest of the story.

This is a dark and twisted folk tale and echoes many of the original Grimm fairy tales. Children are eaten and disappear, and dark things hunt the woods of Duva. Humanity follows a much harsher code and is much crueler than what we typically see in our day to day life now.

Overall an absolutely outstanding short story, I absolutely loved it. I immediately went out and bought The Too Clever Fox for my Kindle as well and can’t wait to read that. It is amazing that Bardugo can write not only spectacular novels but also spectacular short stories. In my opinion really well done short stories are very hard to write because you have to set up the world, characters, and plot is such a short amount of space. I highly recommend this short story to fans of the Grisha series and to fans of dark and grimm fairy tales.

Audiobook Review - Three Days to Dead (Dreg City, Book 1) by Kelly Meding (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: November 24, 2009
ISBN: 978-0553592863
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Dreg City series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars


This is the first book in the Dreg City series. There are four book total in this series, there were supposed to be seven but the publisher dropped the series after the fourth book. This series was pretty typical urban fantasy; nothing bad but nothing all that original either.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was decent. The narrator did a good job distinguishing characters voices and conveying emotion. My one complaint would be that Evy’s voice was kind of breathy sounding which totally didn’t match Evy’s character-type (at least I didn’t think so).

This was an urban fantasy series about a Bounty hunter named Evangeline who hunts Dregs (the cities dark creatures like goblins, vamps, etc). Evangeline starts the book waking up in a new body that’s not her’s. For the whole book she is trying to remember and hunt down critical information that she knew when she died, information that could save the world. Evangeline (Evy) has been resurrected into the body of a young woman who committed suicide, Chalice. She was resurrected by her friend Wyatt, who is determined to help her hunt down her memories.

While I thought the idea behind the world was interesting, there wasn't a ton creative here and the world wasn't expanded much beyond the initial premise of fey-like creatures hiding out in the bad parts of the city.

Evangeline was your typical urban fantasy heroine, except for the fact that she was killed and brought back into a different body at the beginning of the book. She complains some about Chalice’s body not reacting like her own. Still she seems to do fairly well in fights despite the fact that Chalice’s body is untrained. The fact that she only has three days to solve the mystery of this unknown information does lend more urgency to this story.

Wyatt was okay but not all that inspiring as a male lead. He seemed a bit weak and easily led...I didn’t really feel great chemistry between him and Evy. In fact I didn't find any of the characters to be all that intriguing or engaging in this book.

The plot was also fairly predictable, there are some twists and turns but things end up pretty much how I thought they would in the end. This is a pretty dark story as well with torture, rape, and dank bleak settings. So those who dislike really dark urban fantasy should probably skip this and look elsewhere.

Overall this was an okay read, but nothing that really stood out in the urban fantasy genre for me. The world was kind of interesting but not all that well filled out, Evy is in an interesting situation with her resurrection and all, but I didn’t like her all that much as a character. Nothing really offensive here, but nothing great either. This is a dark setting with rape and torture as part of the story, so just a heads up to those who don’t like those subjects in their reading. There is so much excellent urban fantasy out there that I wouldn’t really recommend this series. I don’t plan on reading any more of this series.

For excellent urban fantasy check out Ilona Andrew’s Kate Daniel’s series, Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series, Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid or October Daye series, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series, or Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Audio Book Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Early Review - Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death, Book 2) by Bethany Griffin (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic/Steampunk
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: June 11, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062107824
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Masque of the Red Death series
Source: eGalley through Edelweiss
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the second and final book in the Masque of the Red Death duology by Griffin. I really loved both books in this series. I love the contrast between grime settings and beauty of the crazy world that is created here.

Araby is fleeing the city she loves so much with members of the Rebellion. They need to regroup and find a way to save their city. Araby wants to return to the city to find her father and hopefully a cure for April. Elliot on the other hand wants to raid the Prince’s palace so he can return to the city with much needed food and weapons. Both of them are determined to find a way to cure the Red Death and cleanse the city of its disease.

Griffin does such an excellent job with this world and with creating a bleak and dark atmosphere that is sprinkled with bright glimmers of beauty. This is a world of disease and grotesque beauty where even the smallest glimmers of good will and hope stand out brilliantly. The language throughout is beautiful and really made these scenes come alive for me.

In this book we learn more about the Red Death and about the disease that struck down the world before current time. We learn about Araby’s father’s involvement in the whole thing as well.

Much of this book is dedicated to Araby searching out her father while Elliot plots to take the city away from the Prince (his uncle). Along the way they must dodge the men of the man who has been terrorizing the city, who is Elliot’s father (although Elliot isn’t aware of this in the beginning of the book, Araby is). There is much rabble rousing and strategizing and a mystery to be solved about a mysterious machine that can drain the swamp away from the city.

There is still a love triangle going on between Araby, Elliot, and Will. I liked how all of this wrapped up; I thought it was appropriate and fit the story well.

I also liked Araby a lot more in this book than the last one; she is much less naive and takes more action. You can tell she is finally emerging from the depression that gripped her in the first book. While she dislikes the gore and death around her she never flinches from it and does what needs to be done. She still comes across as weak at times, but you can tell she is finally turning into someone she is comfortable with.

Griffin does a phenomenal job of giving the reader the unexpected; for example in the darkest and dankest of settings the characters will have some of the most tender and loving scenes while in the gilttery beauty of a ballroom the most awful and horrible things will happen. I really enjoyed the unexpected contrast in these scenes.

The story does have a bit of a steampunk feel to it; there are airships and clockwork mechanisms, as well as some tinkering with genetics. Society has reverted to Victorian type of sensibilities, so this also lends a bit of a steampunk vibe to the story. However this story is also one about a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by disease and about the people who try to survive in it. There is also a gothic feel to the story with all of the Victorian-like tragedy and talk of death.

I thought this book wrapped up the series well and did an excellent job doing it. The writing flowed well, was engaging, and the book was very easy to read. Mostly I just had trouble putting it down!

Overall an absolutely wonderful conclusion to this duology. I really enjoyed how Araby grew as a character and continue to love this dark and dreadful world. I also loved the beautiful writing and how Griffith often had beautiful things happen in horrible settings or visa versa; the contrast between beauty and tragedy was interesting and ironic. I definitely recommend this series to fans of YA books; this is a creative YA read that is a bit steampunk, a bit gothic, and a bit post-apocalyptic.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Color Coded Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - Slither (The Last Apprentice, Book 11) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: January 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062192349
Stand Alone or Series: 11th book in the Last Apprentice series
Source: Gift
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the eleventh book in The Last Apprentice series. The twelfth book will be titled, I am Alice, and is scheduled for a September 2013 release. This book was a good read and engaging, but did not feature the normal characters in the series.

This book diverts from our normal group of characters, to a different part of the world far from Tom Ward’s country. The story is told from Sliter’s point of view. Slither is a dark mage that makes a deal with a farmer in his region. When the farmer dies he promises Slither his eldest daughter, Nessa, as a slave if only Slither will see Nessa’s two younger sisters to their aunt and uncle. When Slither gets on the bad side of another dark mage all of their lives are in danger. Although things take turn for the better when the strange witch named Grimalkin pops into the story.

This book is written in the same dank and dark tone as all of the previous books. Slither is not really a good character at all, but he is an honorable one. Sure he eats human blood to survive, but when he makes a promise to Nessa’s dad he is bound to keep it. He is not kind, he is not caring, but he honors his bargains.

Parts of the book are also told from Nessa’s point of view. Nessa is a surprisingly resilient character; I loved her bravery in the face of things more horrible than she has ever before faced. I loved how she did her best to shelter her younger sisters as well. She is one tough cookie and an excellent heroine to add to the series.

Slither’s world is a dangerous and interesting one. It’s bound by rules that are followed strictly but it is a vicious world. I enjoyed reading and learning about the world outside of the one we normally read about.

Grimalkin does enter the book for the last third or so of the story. As normal Grimalkin is my absolute favorite character in this series. Like normal she is neither good nor bad. Here we see some of what she has gone through and continues to go through in an effort to destroy the Fiend’s head. She was awesome and the collaborations between her and Nessa were interesting and made me wonder what the future holds for Nessa.

While I wasn’t totally thrilled to have the resolution to this series delayed by this diversion, I have to admit this book was well done and very entertaining. It is formated like previous books with creepy pictures opening each chapter. The book is creepy and dark and a bit scary, but never terrifying.

Overall I really enjoyed this addition to the Last Apprentice series. It was fun to get a look at a different part of the world this series takes place in. Slither was an interesting evil but honorable type of character. Nessa was a surprisingly engaging heroine as well. The parts with Grimlakin were wonderful and it was interesting to see what else she has done on her travels. The book was well paced and incredibly engaging. I really love this series. I can’t wait to read I Am Alice and then see how things wrap up in the 13th book of this series! This series is highly recommended to fans of middle grade/young adult horror/fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Early Review - Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Short Stories
Size: 240 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0375869204
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. Previously I had read Lanagan’s Brides of Rollrock Island and really loved it. This was a collection of short stories that I enjoyed overall. Some stories were spectacular and some were a bit hard to follow.

This is a collection of stories that span fantasy, horror, and paranormal genres. Some of the stories are really well done, a couple I had to reread to figure out exactly what was going on. In general Lanagan tends to be a bit vague in her writing, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions about what really happened. This can lead to the reader having more questions than answers by the time they get to the end of a story.

This is aimed at young adults, but there is one story “Catastrophic Disruption of the Head” that was very adult. This story had a ton of violence including a rape scene and discussion of mutiple rapes on a young woman...so just be aware of that.

My favorite stories of the bunch were: The Golden Shroud (a beautiful retelling of Rapunzel with a happier ending than the traditional fairy tale0, Into the Clouds (a story about a young boy whose mother gets called to go somewhere else), Ferryman (a story about how the young Sharon got the job as Ferryman of the dead) and Eyelids of the Dawn (in which a building decides it needs a vacation).

All of the stories included are listed below along with ratings and brief descriptions. I haven’t read any of Lanagan’s other short story collections yet, so I don’t know how they compare to this one. I did enjoy The Brides of Rollrock Island a lot more than this story collection.

Overall it was a decent collection of stories. I will be checking out more of Lanagan’s short story collections. I recommend to those who love quirky and slightly ambiguous fantasy/horror stories. A lot of these stories are very creative and very different.

The Point of Roses (3/5 stars)
The first story is about a boy who can make things come true from objects. Very vague and a bit hard to follow.

The Golden Shroud (5/5 stars)
A retelling of Rapunzel with a happier ending than the traditional fairy tale

A Fine Magic (4/5 stars)
When two young girls reject the attentions of an old wizard, he gets his revenge on them.

A Honest Day’s Work (4/5 stars)
About a town where the workers harvest creatures of gelatinous goo from the ocean.

Into the Clouds on High (5/5 stars)
Story about a boy whose mother is called to the sky.

Night of the Firstlings (3/5 stars)
About a family who survives a sickness and an attack, only to be forced to journey from their home. Another story that is very vague and was a bit hard to follow.

Catastrophic Disruption of the Head (4/5 stars)
Story about a soldier who comes across an old woman with magical dogs. A bit hard to follow since it jumps around in time, also very graphic violence.

Ferryman (5/5 stars)
Story about how Sharon came to be the Ferryman. Wonderfully done and clever.

Living Curiosities (4/5 stars)
A story about people living at a circus and a suicide.

Eyelids of the Dawn (5/5 stars)
When a building gets uncomfortable it decides to take a vacation out to sea. This was a fun story that was easy to follow and very creative.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Color Coded Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - The God Machine by Chandra Free (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: Archaia
Release Date: November 23, 2010
ISBN: 978-1932386875
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the God Machine series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I stumbled upon this graphic novel while browsing the graphic novel section in Half Price Books. The absolutely stunning artwork on the cover grabbed my attention. When I pulled it down and paged through it I was hooked on the unique and fabulous art.

Guy Salvatore’s girlfriend has gone missing and is presumed dead. He is dwelling in a state of self pity and grief and manages to catch the attention of the Gods. Good God, Evil God, and Limbo God run things from a parallel realm and this boy is messes everything up when he sees them (humans aren’t supposed to be able to see the Gods). In the midst of much mayhem they try to figure out what the heck is going on here.

I cannot emphasise how stunning and beautiful the artwork is throughout this book. It is just wonderful. It’s done in a beautiful full array of colors and is just absolutely eye-catching...and at times a bit disturbing.

The story is decently done, but a bit ambiguous and scattered at times. It’s a very creative story but you have to really concentrate on what is happening to not get lost. The story bounces between Guy, the three Gods, and a number of Guy’s rather disturbing dreams.

It’s a fun and interesting read....and I just love, love love the artwork.

Overall this was a very good and interesting graphic novel. I enjoyed the artwork throughout a ton and though the story was very creative. The story is a bit ambiguous though and kind of jumps between different POVs, so you really need to concentrate on what’s going on. I enjoyed it alot and hope that Free writes future installments to the God Machine.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - Endless Nights (Sandman, Book 12) by Neil Gaiman (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: September 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1401201135
Stand Alone or Series: 12th book in the Sandman series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is a set of stories featuring the Endless. Each Endless gets its own story. Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as the rest of the Sandman series, it was still fun to revisit the series.

Each story features a different Endless. A wide variety of illustration styles are seen throughout and I enjoyed them all. Gaiman's writing continues to be spot on and really captures the mood of each of the Endless.

If you are a fan of the Sandman series this is a must read. The characters and their stories are a bit ambiguous, but then the Endless are vague and vast concepts so I felt that it fit well.

All of the illustration styles fit their stories well. Illustration ranged from the beautiful (Morpheus’s story), to the incredibly disturbing (Despair’s chapter).

Overall an excellent addition to the Sandman series. A must read if you are a fan of the series. I didn’t think the stories were as good as the original series, but they were still entertaining. The illustration covered a wide breadth of styles and was very good.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - Krampus by Brom (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062095657
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eBook for review from Publisher
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got a copy of this book from the publisher for review. I have loved Brom’s previous books and was excited to see what he would come up with next. This was a very adult story about what happens when Krampus the Yule Lord faces off with Santa Claus. It was an interesting story and well written

Jesse is a loser whose wife has left him; he wants to make it big as a music star but can seem to play in front of crowds. His life changes when he sees Santa’s sleigh attacked by horned beasts. When something crashes into his house he finds something that both Santa and Krampus want dearly; Loki’s magical bag. Jesse reluctantly agrees to help Krampus in exchange for Krampus helping Jesse save his family from the criminal low-lifes in the small town Jesse lives in.

This was a very interesting re-imagining about Krampus the Yule Lord. Brom combines traditional folklore with Norse mythology to come up with a tale in which Santa Claus and Krampus throw down in a small town plagued by joblessness and meth.

You can’t help by feel some sympathy for Jesse, I mean sure he is a loser...but he is also really in the wrong place at the wrong time. I love the twisted path Jesse’s life takes as he joins Krampus and seeks to save his family.

Krampus and Santa are both fascinating characters. Krampus is a wonderful mix of hope, joviality, and naughtiness. Santa can kick some serious butt and is a complex character in his own right.

All the characters in this story are very human and complex, this is one of those books where no one is really good or right. It makes for an interesting read.

This was a well written tale that was entertaining and engaging. I received this as an eGalley and although some of Brom's artwork was present in the eGalley there wasn't a ton of it; I am curious to see what the final book looks like.

This is definitely an adult only book and (as with Brom's other books) doesn't shy away from the darkness of humanity. There is swearing, torture, beatings, and abuse aplenty. If you are a Brom fan you already know he likes to explore the dark parts of humanity.

Brom includes a very well done afterword on the work he did researching the legend of Saint Nicholas. He explains how he came up with the idea to tie Saint Nicholas to Krampus. It made for an interesting explanation and read.

Overall this was a good read; although I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Child Thief. Definitely for adults only. This was an interesting blend of folklore and Norse mythology. It was an engaging, fast-paced, and intriguing read. Recommended to those who are interested in Santa/Yule Lord folklore and to those who are big Brom fans. If you like dark and somewhat disturbing urban fantasy I think you will enjoy this book as well.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Audiobook Review - Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, Book 2) by Stacia Kane (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: July 6, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0345515582
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Downside Ghost series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Downside Ghost series by Kane. It was a decent book and I enjoyed listening to it. It expands some on the world we were introduced to in the first series.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. I am still not crazy about the narrator, but she is growing on me. The narrator did an excellent job of distinguishing between the different characters voices and of conveying the mood or feeling of the dialogue.

Chess has been promoted in the Church for her work in the first book and in this book she is given her first really high profile case. She is supposed to debunk a haunting of a celebrity. As with the last book her drug habit gets in the way when she is coerced into working another case for her dealer Bump; hookers have been gruesomely killed and Bump wants Chess to figure out if a ghost is involved.

As with the first book in this series I enjoy the dark, gritty, and creative world that these stories take place in. We learn a bit more about ghosts and how they are summoned, we learn a bit more about the history of the Church of Truth as well. This book wasn’t as gruesome as the first one, but it still didn’t gloss over any of the yucky details.

I still have some trouble with these characters. I just don’t like any of them, they are all pretty much train-wrecks. That doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting to read about; reading about Chess as she tries to work and use her drugs is kind of like watching a train on the verge of crashing. It is kind of fascinating how she can balance all these things and mostly have it work out.

Things come to a head between Chess, Terrible, and Lex in this book. Terrible is still by far my favorite character in this series and I am interesting to see what happens between him and Chess. We get to learn a lot more about Terrible’s background and history in this book and it was very interesting.

This book was similar in structure to the first book in the series. Events that happen with Bump and seemingly unconnected events that happened with Chess’s job at the Church end up being closely related. I found this to be a bit formulaic and hope that future books don’t continue to repeat this pattern. It made the story somewhat predictable.

These books have all been fairly self-contained and I am hoping future books introduce some broader story that ties the books together.

Overall a decent addition to this series. I love this world, it is interesting and creative. I am not totally sold on the characters though. I thought this book was a bit too similar to the previous one in structure and hope future books are different. I am planning on reading book 3, City of Ghosts, then I will decide if I will continue on with this series. I would recommend this book to those who like gritty urban fantasy with flawed characters.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Dystopia Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Early Review - Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim, Book 4) by Richard Kadrey (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: August 28, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0062094575
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Sandman Slim series
Source: eGalley through Edelweiss.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the 4th book in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. I got an eGalley for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This one started off a little slower than previous books, but really picked up speed as the book went on. I ended up loving this one just as much as previous books. It’s gritty, darkly humorous, and Stark is the perfect anti-hero.

The book starts with Stark down in Hell trying to do his job as Lucifer. When he finds out Lucifer mainly does a lot of paper work he continues looking for a way back to L.A. He gets back to L.A. only to find that a serial killer ghost is on the rampage; if Stark doesn’t figure out how to stop the ghost then L.A. could end up worse than Hell.

This book is kind of like two books, or at least two distinct parts of one story. The first part deals with Stark in Hell as he tries to figure out Lucifer’s job, evade assassinations and find a way back to L.A. I didn’t enjoy this part as much as previous Sandman Slim books. Yeah there is a lot of action, but you also get a lot of Hellion names thrown at you and it gets hard to keep track of all the Generals, etc.

I did enjoy watching Stark run the Hellion administration Sandman Slim style. It was pretty hilarious to watch him smack down all those Hellish administrative types. I also enjoyed the secret and truly deadly weapon that looks like a Magic 8 ball.

Things pick up pace and become much more interesting when Stark gets back to L.A. This goes back to the more traditional “Stark solves a murder to save the world” sort of story line. I loved that all of the great characters from previous books feature. Candy is back in full force and it was great to watch her and Stark kick some butt. The Father is back as well and he has learned some truly awesome and deadly spiritual magic and is backing Stark up with more than just intellect. Brigette makes a cameo appearance too.

As with previous books Stark has to solve a mystery or the whole city (and lots of the world) will bite it. In this case it is a murderous young girl ghost that he is chasing. As he solves this mystery we are introduced to more detail of the ghost realms and some new and interesting characters.

Stark actually develops quite a bit as a character in this book. He has to track down his angelic half and make peace with it, and he is starting to actually care about some of the people around him. He is just as tragic as in previous books but he is changing and growing some. It was great to have some character development here.

The action scenes are awesome, the settings dank and gritty. The dialogue sounds like it feel out of an old black and white noir film and it totally over the top at times; I absolutely love it! This is a gritty and ugly urban fantasy and I absolutely adore it.

Overall an excellent addition to the series. The beginning does drag a bit, but things really pick up in the second half of the book. All of our favorite characters are back and Stark makes some awesome progress in character development. This isn’t my favorite Sandman Slim novel, but it is still an excellent one. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of gritty urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Zombies
Size: 400 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 24, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0062083265
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Something Strange and Deadly Trilogy
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 5/5 stars

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was an absolutely wonderful book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful blend of horror/historical fantasy/steampunk/walking undead with a little romance thrown in. The heroine is absolutely wonderful and I loved reading about her. The world is creative and interesting and the plot incredibly well done. The second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, is due out in 2013.

Eleanor Fitt has more to worry about than your average Victorian young lady; her brother has gone missing, her family is nearly destitute, and her mother wants to solve the problem by marrying her off to a rich young man. This is nothing though compared to the problems plaguing the city; the dead have started rising and they are hungry. When Eleanor suspects that her brother is somehow involved with the Dead she hunts down the group of Spirit Hunters for help.

I loved this book. It was fast-moving, had a wonderful plot, wonderful characters, and was very creative. There is witty banter and humor woven throughout the story that made it a lot of fun to read. The walking dead in this novel aren’t the result of a strange infection but are instead the result of necromancy. They don’t spread infection but they are still incredibly hungry for human flesh.

Eleanor is an absolutely wonderful character. She tries to be a proper lady and even goes along with her mother trying to hook her up with the rich Clarence. Still she is determined to find her brother (who is also her best friend) and she will stop at nothing to find him. She ends up sneaking in visits to the Spirit Hunters in between her normal errands and house calls.

As the story progresses Eleanor really shows her metal; she throws herself into everything she does, takes risks to save those she is loyal to and is so much more tough than she seems in the beginning. She really grows a lot as the book continues. She is one of those rare heroines that really takes a lot of physical damage throughout her escapades; she doesn't heal supernaturally but just pushes through to do what she can. I love seeing a heroine actually take realistic damage and have to deal with aftermath; it just makes the story more real to me.

The Spirit Hunters aren’t your average ghost busters (although they do use a mixture of strange steampunkish technology and electricity to deal with their spirits) there is also an element of magic to it all. Of course one of the Spirit Hunters is the young and handsome mechanical genius Daniel. Daniel and Eleanor drive each other crazy in both a bad and a good way; this adds a little romance to the story as they have great chemistry together.

The plot is incredibly well put together, it was a bit predictable, but still very well done. The elements of Eleanor’s missing brother, an evil Spirit, the Walking Dead, and the Spirit Hunters are all nicely tied together as the story progresses.

Overall I absolutely loved everything about this book. Great world, wonderful writing, excellent characters, and a fast-paced plot. When reading this book you can’t help but compare it to Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel; I liked this book quite a bit more than that one. If you do like Dearly, Departed by Habel I think you would really enjoy this book as well. I would also recommend this book to adult readers who are fans of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. This was an excellent steampunk/zombie/historical fantasy. I can’t wait to read the second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Debut Author Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

Audiobook Review - Devil’s Kiss (Billi SanGreal, Book 1) by Sarwat Chadda (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: September 1, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1423119999
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Billi SanGreal series series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is one of those book where I initially wanted to read it because I loved the cover, I know I shouldn’t be like that...but it happens. It ended up being an okay urban fantasy with mythology focused around the Knights Templar. I don’t think I will be reading any more books in the series though.

I listened to this on audiobook and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. The narrator’s voice is very gravely and bothered me. The narrator did a decent job of distinguishing between characters and it was always easy to tell who was talking.

Billi is being trained to join the Knights Templar whether she wants to be or not. When an ancient enemy of the Templars shows up seeking a powerful mirror, it is up to the Templars to stop him before he unleashes the tenth plague and kills all of London’s first born children. Billi is forced to face the horrors of being a Templar whether she wants to or not.

The idea of a secret group that protects normal humans from the things that go bump in the night is a very common one for urban fantasy. So the premise of this story isn’t anything special. In this book this is all given a religious twist; you have the Knights Templar basically fighting fallen angels and the Devil. While I am not big into religious themed urban fantasy I did enjoy some of the mythology behind this.

The thing I really didn’t enjoy was Billi. She is a disaster of a character. She whines constantly about how she hates training to be a Templar and how she wants a normal life. She pretty much whines non-stop. I wanted to slap her and yell “get over it already!”

Billi constantly discusses how she’s been trained from a young age to be this deadly fighter. So I was excited to see her in action...that is until I saw her in action. Pretty much every time her skills are put to the test she can’t handle it, screws everything up, and either needs a guy or her dad to come and save her. I mean seriously? This is our kick-butt heroine?

The surrounding characters aren’t much better. Billi’s dad is a jerk, although we learn there is a reason for that. Billi’s “kind of” boyfriend isn’t much better.

In general the story and characters are spooky and gritty. This is definitely one of the more gritty YA urban fantasies I have read; I wish I had enjoyed the premise behind the story and the characters better because the writing style itself was pretty good. Just a warning to those who are squeamish; there are some pretty yucky scenes in here...think worms eating kids from the inside out stuff like that.

Overall this was a so-so read. I liked some of the mythology behind the Templar Knights and I enjoyed the gritty descriptions and writing style. This was more urban fantasy than paranormal romance which I liked; I also enjoyed the London setting. I did not like Billi (she is whiny and incompetent) or any of the other characters. I thought the premise was pretty blah and uncreative. I won’t be reading any more books in this series. Personally I would check out The Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver instead if you want to read about kick-butt demon slaying in the YA genre.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge