Review - Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 6, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-1416934714
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

I love fairy tale retellings and have read a couple written by Dokey previously.  So far Dokey's writing has been a bit hit and miss for me, but this book was definitely a hit.  It was actually one of the better retellings of Cinderella that I have read.

You know the basic story but in this version there are some changes.  Cinderella's name is really Cendrillon and her father is alive, but has abandoned her because the death of her mother makes Cendrillon's company too painful.  There is another boy whose birthday is the same day as Cendrillon's who grows up with her but has an unknown past.  Add to the mix two countries torn by centuries of war, but currently at peace and you have the makings for a great Cinderella retelling.

I loved that Dokey approached this retelling a bit differently, in some ways she stuck truer to the Brothers Grimm version than the Disney version.  In someways she made everything a bit more sweet too.  Most of the story focuses on the power of love and wishes.  When Cendrillon wishes for sisters and a mother to love, her wish comes true but not in the way she imagined.  Her stepsisters and stepmother aren't as horrible as they are in some renditions, and the ways they are horrible in are because their own pain.

There are a lot of twists to the plot, making it more interesting than the traditional Cinderella story.  All the characters involved are paired up happily in the end too, which while unlikely and a bit goofy, is also very fairy tale like and sweet.

Overall an excellent retelling of Cinderella.  Very sweet and loving characters, a very fairy tale like ending.  I loved that the plot was complicated by sympathetic characters and had some additional politics thrown in.  The writing is beautiful and descriptive.  If you like fairy tale retellings I can recommend this as a good read.

Best of 2010 - Middle Grade and YA Fantasy

I read a ton of great Middle Grade and YA fantasy this year.  My favorites are listed below.

Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull

Keys to the Demon Prison (my review)

This was an excellent series and Keys to the Demon Prison wrapped up the series in a fantastic way!  If you haven't read this series you should.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

(my review)

This was an excellent book.  Set in a dark Victorian London it tells the story of a Wych hunter and the young possessed girl he is struggling to save.  With an intricate plot and wonderful characters it was a great read.

The Bone Magician (Tales of the Sinister City, Book 2) by F.E. Higgins

(my review)

This was another dark Victorian London book about a boy working for an undertaker and a hunt for a serial killer.  Full of interesting plot twists and wonderful characters this was definitely a winner.  I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix

Lord Sunday (my review)

This was an excellent series and Lord Sunday was a fabulous conclusion to it.  Everyone has probably heard of this series.  It is incredibly creative and a wonderful read.  Nix is an excellent writer and I am a big fan of his.

Moon and Sun series by Holly Lisle

The Ruby Key (my review)

The Silver Door (my review)

An excellent adventure/fantasy series, these two books were incredible.  Lisle is great at building wonderful worlds and realistic characters.  My only problem is that the second book leaves a lot of issue hanging and I haven't been able to find info on when the next book will be released.

Rise of the Darklings (The Invisible Order, Book 1) by Paul Crilley

(my review)

This was a great book.  Another one set in Victorian London, this involves a girl and boy who have lost their parents and get entangled in the world of fairy in efforts to find them.  Very well written, great world and characters...I loved it! 

Ilyria by Elizabeth Hand

(my review)

This book is more appropriate for YA audiences than middle grade.  It follows a pair of cousins through a journey of star-crossed love.  Beautifully and intelligently written it was impossible to put down.  I absolutely loved it.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

(my review)

This book reminds of McKinley's older works like The Hero and The Crown.  This was a wonderful book, targeted at the young (teen) female audience.  Just a warning this is part of a duology and this book leaves you in a terrible spot.  It was a wonderful book though and I would definitely give it a read if you are a fantasy fan.

Review - Tempest Rising (Jane True, Book 1) by Nicole Peeler (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: November 1, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0316056588
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in Jane True series
Source: Borrowed from Friend
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Jane True series.  There are at least 6 books contracted for this series with the third book, Tempest's Legacy, out in January of 2011.  This was a very good start to this new series.  It is a fun read with a great plot and interesting characters.

Jane lives in a small coastal town in Maine.  For the most part her life is fairly normal except that she loves to go swimming in the ocean, at night, in the cold.  When some bizarre murders take place in her town of Rockabill a super hot man, err vampire, named Ryu gets in contact with her as a paranormal investigator.  Ryu tells her that her mother was a selkie, so Jane is half selkie.  Sparks between Jane and Ryu fly, but when they find Jane's name is next on the list of murder victims, Jane is drawn into the dangerous world of the supernatural faster than she ever wanted to be.

This was a fun read and a good story.  I enjoyed Jane's down-to-earth attitude and her sharp sense of humor.  Jane is just your every day woman drawn into crazy circumstances and she tries to make the best of things.  She does know her limits though, and backs off if things get too hot for her to handle.  Ryu and Jane have a fun relationship, but it never seems totally serious.  It seems like him and Jane are together for the fun of it, and that is fine.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this book and you never know what new surprising creature awaits around the corner.  It was fun to read about selkies, I don't think I have read a book featuring selkies before so that was very creative.  The author treats supernaturals as just a bunch of separate races, so it ends up being an interesting and refreshing take on vampires as well.

The book was easy to read, well written, and paced well.  The end is tied up nicely but leaves some threads hanging for the next book.  This book tends more towards paranormal romance than urban fantasy, although there is a lot of mystery and investigation here.

Overall a fun read, kind of a fluffy read, but well done overall.  If you are a fan of Molly Harper, the Aisling Grey series, or even the Sookie Stackhouse books you should enjoy this book.  It is interesting, light and fun.  The characters are never in too much danger and they all have pretty fun attitudes.  A great read and I look forward to reading the second book, Tracking the Tempest.

Review - Shotgun Sorceress (Spellbent, Book 2) by Lucy A. Snyder 5/5 stars

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Del Rey 
Release Date: October 26, 2010
ISBN-13:  978-0345512109
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in Spellbent series
Source: Bought ebook
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Spellbent series by Snyder.  The third book, Switchblade Goddess, is due out sometime in 2011.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think if you liked the first book, Spellbent, then you will also like this one.

The book is split into two parts.  The first part of the book starts right after Spellbent ends.  Jessie is under house arrest with Cooper, Pal, and friends.  She finds out that she can't control her new fiery hand when her emotions get out of control and ends up going into Fairy with Cooper to strike a deal with the Fairy about his brothers and their renegade situation.  The second part of the book Jessie, Cooper, and the Warlock are stranded in a rural Texas town where a very bad devil has them trapped and is playing with them.  Well the devil finds out that picking on Jessie is a bad thing.

The book was non-stop action and I devoured it.  I also laughed out loud a number of times and made "ew, gross" faces a few times.  Like the first book, this one isn't for the faint of heart.  There isn't a ton of tenderness here and the descriptions are gory, grisly, and gritty.  Even the sex scenes (which there are more of in this book than the first) are pretty hard, fast, and furious.  The book is darkly funny though and I enjoyed actually getting to see more of Cooper in this book.  It was great to learn more about both Pal and Jessie's new powers.  Some of the scenarios that Snyder comes up with are so strange that I have no idea how she thinks up this stuff; I am glad she does though because it always keeps me guessing.

This book reminds me a lot of the Sandman Slim books in tone, but with a female lead.  I really enjoyed it.  I enjoyed the situations, the awesome powers Jessie is wielding.  I really enjoyed all of the characters they are all tough and gritty and fun to read about.  The pacing was amazing and I was never ever bored.  The book is pretty darn funny at parts too, but in a dark way.

Overall an absolutely fabulous addition to this series.  If you loved the first one you will love this one.  If the first one was too gory and graphic for you...well this one will be too.  If you have read the Sandman Slim books by Richard Kadrey and enjoyed those, I think you would really enjoy this series too.  Loved it and I can't wait for the third book to come out!