Aug 31, 2009

Interview with Maria V. Snyder

Okay, since my reading is a little slow because of school, I was thinking of what else I could do with this blog, since I'm a blogger newbie as of this year. Then I thought what about author interviews? I see them on other blogs I follow so I thought that that might be something I would do, if I ever get the time.

But I did do a mini interview with Maria V. Snyder once three years ago. Yeah, a little old, but I still had the Q/A's saved since I had to have an interview in a paper I did for an English class my freshman year. So I thought I post it here, the info is really nothing too new and has more to do with wanting to be a writer than about Maria's books.

Maria is one of my favorite authors as you can see from my sidebar of favorite authors. I even had the pleasure of meeting her at RT 08 in Pittsburgh. I didn't have enough cash for the hotel, convention and flight, so I just did the book-signing event held on that Saturday and we went to lunch together that day. It was without the doubt one of the coolest days of my life!

Since I want to be a write someday soon, but have to go through the hard-hard-hard process of trying to get published, which is hard from what I hear. ;) These tips I found to be very useful. This interview was done online through email, on November 9 2006. So here it is:

  • Do you write full time or part time?
Full time.

  • If you write full time, is it hard to just write as a career and make ends meet?
Well - I started out working another job full time - I worked as an Environmental Meteorologist at a consultant firm. Fiction writing doesn't pay enough to pay the bills. Even right now I probably would need a part time job - but I am fortunate my husband's job can support our family. My other full time job is raising the kids :)

  • How long does it take you to finish a novel?
Nine months to a year.

  • Is it hard to meet deadlines for your books?
Yes - I'm a slow writer.

  • How do you get new ideas for your books?
From everywhere. Magazines, books, tv, newspapers, dreams, people I meet, and from the places I go. Basically I just need to be observant and I never know what will strike me.

  • Was it hard to find a publisher for your books?
Very hard - Poison Study collected 17 rejections over 2 years and that's not counting the rejects from literary agents.

  • Was it hard to get noticed, meaning like finding an agent or someone who decided that you should be published.
Yes - I wanted to find an agent first, but when over 20 rejected Poison Study - I started sending my manuscript to publishers - eventually Luna bought the book!

  • How did you get noticed for your work?
When submitting a story, the writer needs to find publishers that publish your genre and type of book. So I first queried agents who handled science fiction/fantasy writers and then moved on to publishers. Another way is to find a book that is very similar to yours and then send your story to that publisher. It's hard work and just because one editor says no - doesn't mean your story is bad. It's very subjective. Poison Study had 17 rejects but has gone on to win an award and get great reviews from everyone!

  • Any suggestions for aspiring writers?
Persistence is my biggest advice. I’d been writing for ten years and submitting for eight before I sold anything. Learn the craft of writing as well as the business of writing and attend writer’s conferences and classes if you can. Consider that time an apprenticeship. Be wary of predators, if someone is asking you for money proceed with the utmost caution. Get feedback on your stories from fellow writers before submitting. Joining a critique group is very helpful. I also find that if I let a story sit on my desk for a few weeks I can pick out all the problems, typos and inconsistencies easier. And I agree whole heartily with Stephen King’s advice in his book, On Writing. He wrote, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. And don’t give up!

Be sure to head over to Bitten by Books on SEPTEMBER 1 2009, for an interview with Maria and a contest to win a copy of Sea Glass!!!

Aug 30, 2009

Contest Alert--at Fantastic Book Review

Do you love books? Of course you do, why else would you be checking my review blog otherwise! ;) Well, a blog I love following is having a contest for a chance to win 3 books of your choice from a given list!! It's real simple, all you have to do is leave a comment answering the question asked. And following a few other directions for extra points to win!!!

Here's the link to the contest: http://fantasticbookreview.blogspot.com/2009/08/vampires-werewolves-fairies-oh-my.html?showComment=1251671283443#c1000546743111037244

You have until MIDNIGHT September 13 2009. Open only to US and Canada residents.

Good Luck!

Aug 29, 2009

Contest Alert--at A Journey of Books



I found a contest where you can win a signed copy of Blood Promise!! I LOOOVED the book, see my review below. So I am definitely going to try to win this one!!

Just go to http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/2009/08/win-signed-copy-of-blood-promise.html, and follow the instructions for your chance to win!! Hurry contest ends September 30! Well maybe no need to seriously hurry, but don't wait too long!

Review--Blood Promise


BOUND BY LOVE, BUT SWORN TO KILL...

THE WORLD THOUGHT DIMITRI WAS DEAD. AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT HE WAS. BUT I HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO FORGET A CONVERSATION HE AND I ONCE HAD. WE'D BOTH AGREED THAT WE'D RATHER BE DEAD--TRULY DEAD--THAN WALK THE WORLD AS STRIGOI. IT WAS TIME TO HONOR OUR WORDS.

Guardian Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same. The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck; a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count.

But only one victim matters...Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa--her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess--or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now with everything at stake--and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend--can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Readers who fell in love with Rose, Lissa, and Dimitri won't want to miss Blood Promise, the much-anticipated, epic fourth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series.

I have 3 words for this book: OH MY GOD!

Yeah I know, not real descriptive for reviewing purposes, but seriously this was by far the best book in the series to date. I don't even know where to begin. Obviously I can't explain everything that happened because that would spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. So glad that I got to finish it today before school really kicks into gear.

Okay, all the players return, yes even Dimitri, that's not too much of a spoiler since the jacket says Rose is going after him to kill him. Well they meet up, there, won't elaborate. I want to, but I won't!

The characters in this book, let alone the series are amazing!! I've never really read a YA book/series that I became so in love with. Seriously. If I had to pick between this and the Twilight Saga, Twilight wouldn't stand a chance! Rose is by far a better heroine than Bella, no offense to Stephenie Meyer or any Fans of hers. I still enjoyed those books, I just find these more entertaining. Mostly because there is action. Vampire Academy doesn't focus on the romance and what happens around them. Vampire Academy focuses more on what's happening due to the romance, or something like that. There's romance, but it is not the focal point. Rose's whole mission to kill Dimitri is done out of her love for him--hence their romance.

Even the secondary characters are awesome, there are a variety of newbies in this book and they are so...real, I guess. It's not just here's a person with a witty sense of humor and a sharp tongue, you actually see that person's actions and get that same sense of who they are. Richelle practices the adage: show, don't tell, very-very well! She shows us everything!! And tells what cannot be showed!

And since Rose is half-way around the world that's not to say that we don't get to know what's happening at St. Vlad's, we do, through her and Lissa's bond. Which is how we learn about more characters, ones who seem eerily familiar. Hmm.....;)

There are a few new mysteries, I guess we can say, that pop up that will make their purpose in the next two books, or hopefully in the next one more-so. And one old one, that I can recall, is solved. That's all I'll say on that part, again I don't want to give away even the slightest clue that could lead to a spoiler, so my clues, hints are vague. My apologies. The only way to make any sense of what I'm talking about is obvious...you have to read Blood Promise!!

Seriously, after reading the book, my review, with the vague clues will make a LOT more sense. Trust me! ;)

Aug 27, 2009

Contest Alert--at Scifiguy


Over at http://www.scifiguy.ca/, he's giving away 3 copies of Night's Cold Kiss! But this contest takes a little more work, in a comment you must include a fact about Australia that you know. Something, anything, as long as it has something to do with Australia. You have until Friday, September 4 at MIDNIGHT to enter.

Good Luck!

This book also looks like a great read! It's on my TBR pile. Hoping to win a copy though, that'd be sweet!

Here's what's on the back:

For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires—until the efforts of the courageous on both sides helped to forge a fair, if fragile, peace.

But the rogue, vicious, and half-mad Necrodreniacs will never be controlled—addicted as they are to the death-high…and bloody chaos.

Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race—even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian's help to achieve her vengeance—even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs.

Expect my review on this sometime soon, hopefully. Trying to "win" a copy and still have to read it amongst going to school. Eck, college is hard! ;)

Aug 24, 2009

Notice

In case anyone's out there who checks my blog on occasion, I just wanted to let you know that my posts might be a little more infrequent. School started for me today and my reading is about to officially be put on the slow side. I'm an English Major with a minor in Writing, plus I work part-time. So trying to read a good urban fantasy book might take a little longer than I would like. I will still try to get my reviews up in case they are beneficial to anyone, it just might take longer. I am able to find a balance between everything and can still read pretty fast, just not in two days anymore. So sorry. It hurts me too! ;)

EDIT


I just got an update from Maria and she said the publisher made a goof on the release date for the next book. It is NOT Fall 2011! The actual release date is Fall 2010! Whew! That was a close one! I thought we would have to wait 2 years to find out what happens to Opal, instead of 1 year.

Aug 23, 2009

Contest Alert--Book Reviews by Jess


Since I am technologically inapt, I have to make a post about this contest. Tried to put it on the side, but it didn't pan out. So here it is:

Over at http://bookreviewsbyjess.blogspot.com/2009/08/contest-arc-of-intertwined-by-gena.html, is a contest to win a copy of Gena Showalter's newest YA book, Intertwined. Jess has an extra copy that she is giving away. All you have to do is make a comment on the post and for extra points be a follower and post about the contest on your blog, or twitter it or whatever! You have until Midnight August 30.

Good luck!

Aug 22, 2009

FYI

Be sure to back up to my older post on 2010 movies! I just posted a link to the new Wolfman preview. I think it was just released like the other day or something, I put it up last night, but thought I better post that I did add to an older post!

Aug 21, 2009

Contest Aert--at Ravenous Reader


Over at Tales of a Ravenous Reader: Tales of a Lush Budget blog, the Ravenous Reader is giving away a signed set of the Vampire Academy books! Yup signed! The holy grail of books--books that are signed!

Simple rules for entering, commenting and blogging about the contest, and one or two others. Also you have a chance to win a signed copy of Blood Promise as well! Here's the tricky part for that front, you have to do all 4 of the requirements before entering for Blood Promise, nothing major, and then pick a number 1-100, but you have to pick a number that isn't already chosen. If you duplicate a number, the book will go to the person who picked that number first. So read through the comments so far and make sure you pick a free number. Trust me, there are already a few duplicates, all my "lucky" numbers were chosen so it's good to check.

Here's the link: http://lushbudgetproduction.blogspot.com/2009/08/vampire-academy-contest.html?showComment=1250856661529#c2103129634992802796

You have until midnight PST on August 30. Good luck!

Aug 20, 2009

Cover Art--from Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent just released her cover for SHIFT the other day and I thought I post it here! Just to give you a look incase you have trouble finding it. The back of the cover cannot be posted yet, for Rachel has not given the okay for that much yet. Also there are PREY spoilers, and you know how I am about spoilers! But I thought I'd let you see the new look of the Shifters series.

This is a different model than the last 3 books, sadly that model moved to CA and the covers are shot in Canada. Oh well. This new girl isn't too far off! Also the famous necklace that you can spot on books 2-4, is not seen here, but there are some pretty wicked leopard print bracelets. Although this model is supposed to be Faythe, the MC, this is sooo not Faythe. Faythe would never willingly put on a dress, nor wear jewelry, but it's still a good image for Faythe.

This is also the first book where we actually have a scenery background, the trees. Very dark, and spooky! Very cool!

Remember this book comes out March 1 2010, but bookstores might have it out earlier than that, so be on the lookout!

Review--Sea Glass


"I can drain a magician of his powers. All I need is a glass orb in my hands..."

Student glass magician Opal Cowan's newfound ability to steal a magician's powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest by the Council, Opal dares defy them, traveling to the Moon Clan's lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. Thinks because another man--now her prisoner--claims Ulrick's desire for blood magic has eclipsed his passion for her.

In hostile territory, without proof or allies, Opal isn't sure whom to trust. She can't forget Kade, the handsome Stormdancer who doesn't want to let her get close. And now everyone is after Opal's special powers for their own deadly gain...

Three words: I. Loved. It. Of course since it's a book by Maria, I am bound to love it anyway! Maria is a fabulous writer! A Fan-tab-u-lous writer!! Maria's books takes you into a whole other world where magic exists and is feared by some and desired by others, and sometimes their desire turns deadly! Oh yes! Magic can be used for good or evil, as we all know.

Sea Glass picks right up where Storm Glass left off and wow! It was just amazing! I can't say it enough how much I love Maria's books! Her characters are so refreshing and funny and lovable. I fell in love with her Study series and now I am doing the same with the Glass series! Many of the same characters from Storm Glass return, which means we've seen and loved them in the Study series. Janco, is by far one of my all time favorites and he is back with his witty retorts and mannerisms and all his jokes! Janco always makes me LOL--seriously! He just says the funniest things in the perfect moments.

Opal has more trouble to deal with since Ulrick and Devlen are still in the wrong bodies, she sets out to find Devlen's body that contains Ulrick's soul, while the counterpart travels with her and Janco, but trouble continually finds them and sets them off course.

But that is only the beginning! Oh the details I wish I could indulge you in, but I don't want to give it away! There's love, action--plenty of fight scenes, betrayals, lies, assassination attempts! Oh there is just so much that happens in the story, that I cannot wait to read the next one! Since Maria says the publisher made a goof on that date, I'm not sure when the next one comes out. I do believe Maria has a new YA line that she is working on that releases in 2010, which is the reason for the delay.

Opal will have to face many problems, the Master Magicians along with several others, still want to control her abilities with her glass creations. Her family and friends also bring in more problems. Opal tries to tell them "what's going on" [a spoiler], but no one believes her, no one. Not even Yelena. Opal has never felt so alone, before even with her "lover" at her side. [another spoiler, but a pretty easy guess]

More of the events from Storm Glass that brought up problems are resolved in Sea Glass, but there are still more to come. Naturally. The third and final book in this series, is untitled for now, but will be released, as I said, in Fall 2011. Oh the agony!

Aug 19, 2009

Review--Thorn Queen

Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she’s also become queen of the Thorn Land. It’s hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one—except Eugenie—seems willing to find out why.

Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren't making things any easier. Her boyfriend, Kiyo, is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty—even if it means facing the darkest—and deadliest—side of her nature…


Just finished this today. Been busy, work, school starts next week which means my reading will be slower and my posts won't be as frequent. Unless I'm posting on something else entirely! Regardless I finished Thorn Queen and it was super!

It pretty much picks up where Storm Born left off, a few months later. And chaos is about to take over Eugenie's life once again. Being a ruler of her own kingdom is hard work, especially when her boyfriend, Kiyo spends a lot of his time with his "baby mama", the Willow Queen. Then there's Dorian who still pursues Eugenie, body and soul. Of course he's not the only one. What with the prophecy, other baddies are still trying to get into her pants. But Eugenie is still channeling her powers and practicing more and more as time moves on. Although there are her loved ones who wish that she abandoned them, she feel like she must learn her powers so she can put them to good use.

But there are more problems occurring in the kingdom and Eugenie finds herself spending more time than she would like in the Otherworld. She has no choice, she grows more connected to the land every day. But girls from her world are going missing and she can't seem to figure out why. She will have to seek outside help, from her stepfather, all while trying to keep her queenliness a secret.

Mead once again writes another fabulous novel! This Otherworld is so intriguing. It's not at all what you would expect from a book regarding the fae and other creatures. It's definitely not a Disney themed world, and I know Disney! Eugenie goes through more life changing events and tragedies that effect her greatly. She will turn to the ones that she loves, but will she be able to depend on them fully?

This review might be a little more vague, since I've reviewed Mead's work already and there is only so many times I can say how much I love her work and the worlds she creates, the characters are fresh and intriguing and well-rounded, without sounding like a broken record. I also don't want to divulge too much into the storyline itself anymore than I already have, I just wanted to try to discretely add more info in without hashing out spoilers.

Basically Eugenie must get into the groove of being a queen of her own land and greeting her fellow royals. She learns she must care for her land and her people, that her people depend on her and the land. The land needs its queen in order to thrive, and the only way that can happen is if Eugenie spends more time in the Thorn Land.

The ending was phenomenal with many twists and surprises and plenty of action and build up to more action! I cannot wait to read the next one in this series! The next book is currently titled Iron Crowned and is slated for a 2010 release. No date yet as far as I know.

Aug 18, 2009

New New Moon Trailer

As I might have mentioned I read the Twilight books and thought they were pretty good. I like vampires all good and fine, sparkly ones? Okay that was one thing that bugged me, but moving on. I saw Twilight and thought it was pretty good and stayed true to the novel, despite Kirsten Stewart not being who I would've chosen for Bella. Don't ask me who I would've chose, I don't know really. Imagining your characters as you read and then seeing the actor in the movie, the actor never meets up to my "character". But as I said in my movie post, I'll still see New Moon, as well as the last two movies. In fact I just found the new trailer for New Moon, the one that I believe was in that movie Bandslam or whatever, with that HSM chick who thinks she's Olivia Newton-John from Grease...yeah HSM not something I liked, since I grew up watching Grease, even though the movie was old even then!

Okay rant over. Anyway I just watched this trailer that is deemed "Team Jacob" and it looks sooo good. You get a glimpse of Dakota Fanning as Jane, and she looks creepy! I so cannot wait for this movie! Anyway here's the link to the trailer incase anyone's having troubles finding it. Not likely since it was released on Friday, I tried looking then but it was probably too early. Here it is, the new New Moon trailer...

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-new-moon-jacob-preview.html#watch

I tried to download the video itself, but I'm not the best person with technology whatsoever! Sorry.

Contest Alert--at Scifiguy

Just found another awesome contest to win either My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent or Gena Showalter's Intertwined. There is also a chance to win either a My Soul to Take t-shirt or an Intertwined t-shirt! Hurry contest ends at midnight Thursday, August 19. That's tomorrow! I only just found it this morning!

Here's the link: http://www.scifiguy.ca/2009/08/harlequin-teen-blog-tour-giveaway.html

All you have to do is post a comment on the question asked. Real simple! Earn an extra entry as well by posting the contest info on your blog or twitter or whatever page!

Aug 17, 2009

CONTEST ALERT!

Over at Karen Mahoney's livejournal blog, she has a contest going for some spectacular prizes! A bunch of YA books that look awesome! Including Maria V. Snyder's Study Series, the complete set in the YA UK additions! They look beautiful!

Also there's Claudia Gray's two books, Evernight and Stargazer with a third prize of Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief!

All you have to do is comment in the comment section answering the question asked! Hurry contest ends this Friday!

http://kaz-mahoney.livejournal.com/204026.html

Aug 14, 2009

Random Nonsense--2010 Movies

So I was bored and decided to busy myself by looking up movies that come out in 2010 that I am dying to see! No previews for them yet, a teaser trailer here or there, but not much. So anyway, what I am dying to see that comes out next year so far is:

The Wolf Man--another remake, there are quite a few vampire/werewolf movies on the horizon. Not a lot of info on them, but for this one? Benicio Del Toro is set to play the wolf man. And Anthony Hopkins is supposed to be in this as well! Should be really interesting! Comes out February 10 2010. HERE'S A LINK TO A TRAILER! LOOKS AWESOME: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-werewolves.html

Alice in Wonderland--Tim Burton along with Disney team up again to retell this classic tale and Johnny Depp stars in it along with Helena Bonham Carter! There is a teaser for this one and it looks soooo good! March 5 2010! And I do believe that's my spring break week, so that's where I'll be!

Iron Man 2--oh yeah! The first one totally kicked a**. My friend actually recommended it and I thought he was just BS-ing me, but no way! It was really good! A little upset that Terrence Howard was replaced with Don Cheadle, nothing against him, I just liked Howard a lot. I thought he and Downey Jr. worked well together with their characters. There is also Scarlett Johansson coming along as a villain. Should be interesting! Comes out May 7 2010!

Shrek Forever After--aka Shrek 4. I found these movies to be pretty funny, especially on the little Disney spoof you can find every now and then. Like in Shrek 2, when "Ariel" washed up to shore! Best of all the same actors return for the characters. I personally like Donkey the best, then Puss, those two are funny! Loved it when they sang Livin La Vida Loca in Shrek 2. Too funny! This movie comes out May 21 2010!

Toy Story 3--yup, I'm a Disney girl! I love Disney movies, especially the classics. Trying to get the DVDs as they release from the vault which is really annoying. But this one looks like it will be good. Not much of a trailer yet, but still the first 2 were good, the 3rd is bound to be the same! The same actors are returning as well from what I heard, all the major players anyway! Apparently the storyline is that Andy dumps the toys at a daycare center while he leaves for college. This is according to the Internet Movie Database website. This is to hit theaters on June 18 2010.

Eclipse--yes unfortunately I'll see this one. I've read the books, they're not too bad and the first movie was good. Plan on seeing the second one later this year. This movie comes out June 30 2010. At least according to the Internet Movie Database website.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1--So far by looking at IMDB most of the characters do return, quite a few, Rita, Fleur, DOBBY! So it should stick to the book! I am looking forward to seeing how they end the series in the movies. Of course there is still Part 2 to see, which comes out July 15 2011. But as for Part 1 that comes out November 19 2010, much like its older movies did in the beginning.

Well that's what I got so far. Sure there are others that are "rumored" to come out in 2010, but there isn't enough info to confirm it.

Other movies that I know about but haven't had much released are ones such as Pirates of the Caribbean 4, yup good ol' Captain Jack is back! Johnny and Geoffrey return in another tale! Also Johnny is supposedly trying to work on a Dark Shadows movie, based on its vampire soap opera from the 60s. And of course others such as Harry Potter 7 part 2, Breaking Dawn come out in 2011. There is also a rumored Underworld 4 where Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman return.

Others that might be more definite, but still have no info at all are: The Historian--a Dracula kind of tale, pretty interesting, a LOT of history and Benighted--where werewolves are the dominant species of the world and humans are like 1%. The first is rumored for 2010 and Benighted is unknown. I mean IMDB says 2009, but I don't see how that's possible.

Also one movie that I am dying to see this year other than New Moon, is Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downing Jr. as Sherlock! That looks friggin funny! That comes out Xmas day this year! There is a preview already for that one.

Review--The Path of Razors


MEAN GIRLS...

London couldn't be farther from L.A., but stuntwoman turned vampire hunter Dawn Madison knows that her job hasn't changed: find the local vampire Underground and wipe it out. She and her team have located the vamps' lair at a private girls' school, and now they have the undead on the run.

But the vicious pack is starting to realize that its greatest threat may come from within its own ranks.

As unrest rocks the Underground, Dawn begins to fall prey to her own dark desires. Never the same since her one moment as a vampire, she finds her psychic powers--and her urge to hunt--growing.

But above- and belowground, the line between good and evil is once again blurring, leading to a confrontation between Dawn--who fears her humanity is slipping away--and a beautiful but deadly creature who basks in the suffering of her own kind...

Okay just finished Chris Marie Green's latest in the Vampire Babylon series, the second in the "second trilogy", and it was great! Green chooses to write in the third person so that we can get several p.o.v. on the different things going about. We see more of the new Underground vampires and the mysterious girls with their equally mysterious Masters; Wolfie and Mrs. Jones. There is in-depth info on those two that was just mind-blowing! This is definitely the strangest Underground ever, well at least compared to the Hollywood Underground, which is the only other we've seen.

For those who may not know this is the 5th Vampire Babylon book, but the second in the second trilogy. Books1-3 are a trilogy dealing with the Hollywood Underground and Books 4-6 deal with the London Underground. So that means the London Underground books come to their conclusion in the next book; Deep in the Woods, coming March 2 2010!

As I said this book goes into a lot of perspectives, even Eva for a chapter. There is also mentioning of a new enemy that is somehow linked to the London Underground, but there isn't much to know about them just yet, this book focused more on the "old" enemy that we already knew about. This new enemy is definitely strange. I really don't know what to make of "this enemy".

Green chooses to write in the third person, as I had said earlier, and it is a refreshing change. There is nothing wrong with the first person p.o.v. at all, but with how Green writes her third person, we get to see more of the characters, enemies included. It lets us get to know all the players. All the characters have their own story to tell, they all have backgrounds, some with dark secrets hiding in the background. Some more secrets come up for the characters, heroes and enemies alike, but none are looked into other than the surface glance.

Once again the book leaves you wondering where the characters are going to go next. The mini-battle was finished, but there is still THE battle to deal with next book, so some things are still left hanging in the air. Which is going to make the wait for March a little bit agonizing!

Remember Deep in the Woods, the third book in the London Underground trilogy and the 6th book in the Vampire Babylon series, comes out March 2 2010!

Aug 11, 2009

Review--Speak of the Devil



FOR A KICK ASS EXORCIST, IT'S ALL ABOUT STAYING ALIVE...

Morgan Kingsley, America's most successful exorcist is paying the price for an exorcism gone wrong. The victim's family is suing the daylights out of her, the Exorcism Board has suspended her, and now she's living on a diet of ramen noodles and bad coffee. But Morgan has a few good men at her side. One is her current boyfriend, nice-guy legal eagle Brian, who's suddenly starting to reveal his inner bad boy. The other is Philly cop Adam White, who's trying to help Morgan find out who sent her a little present--a severed human hand--and why someone seems determined to destroy her.

As her stalker turns more violent, leaving dead bodies in his wake, Morgan turns to the dark side of her life: a group of demons steeped in secrets, sinful eroticism, and otherworldly family feuds, including one sexy beast who shares Morgan's body--and some X-rated fantasies. Soon Morgan must choose between her friends, her enemies, and her libido to escape a mad demon determined to destroy her completely.

Trying for a catchy title instead of using the book's title for the post. Not the best title I suppose, but oh well. It gets the point across. We have demons in the Morgan Kingsley series!

This is definitely one of the best books in the series so far, at least it was my fave. In it we get to see more of characters, such as Adam. For awhile we've only seen him as being a bit more cruel, but since he is a demon possessing a human that's to be expected, but we get to see a different side to him in Speak of the Devil. Granted it's nothing monumental, but I liked it. I liked seeing this side of Adam, he's more helpful than not in this book.

Morgan, as usual, finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Of course that is putting it lightly. Being sued for performing an exorcism and having the possessed die is not something Morgan was expecting, but it is what's happening. Maguire--the man suing Morgan--is a relentless man, angered by the death of his possessed son and blames Morgan for it, but could there be something more to the case than meets the eye? There is definitely something hinky going on here and Morgan is going to have to ask for help from her friends. Sometimes knowing a few demons of her own can be a good thing.

Reporter Barbie also makes her return in this novel and has a much more prominent role. We get to know more about her and her "deal". It is definitely quite an interesting part of the tale.

Jenna Black writes in a fabulous way, I love Morgan's saucy attitude, but there are times when I feel like strangling her for her actions or words. But she's still an awesome protagonist. I must say I really love the way she writes, especially by building this foundation of a world where demons exist and are sometimes viewed with respect and awe by some, and open hostility and hatred by others. It really does feel real at times, I love that about reading. When the writer can make the world believable and still add in the fantastical aspects, it's just amazing. It's like how can we not know that Philadelphia is a demon hot spot?

I am definitely looking forward to the next book, The Devil's Playground, coming out February 23 2010--the same day as Kim Harrison's, Black Magic Sanction! I really can't wait to see how this series comes to its final conclusion with the demon war and Lugh battling his brother!

Aug 10, 2009

Review--Leader of the Pack


WILDLY INDEPENDENT, SHE'S NOT ONE FOR PACK MENTALITY.

On the outside, Sophie Garou is living every woman's dream: She has beauty, brains, and a big-time position in Austin's most respected accounting firm (not to mention a very sexy, very successful new boyfriend). But there's one thing Sophie would rather keep under wraps: She's a werewolf.

Sophie's life geta little more hairy when her long-estranged father, Luc, arrives in the Live Music Capital to attend the werewolves' annual Howl and reconnect with his daughter. But Luc's plans fall apart after he's accused of murder and arrested by his archrival, Wolffgang, leader of the Houston pack (and one notoriously dirty dog). Wolfgang drools at the thought of Luc's impending execution, but Sophie won't let her father die without a fight. Determined to prove his innocence, she and her friends set out to find the real killer. Along the way, Sophie kust deal with taboo, attractions, Machiavellian intrigues, sinister agendas, and hair-raising betrayals.

This had to be the best book by far in Karen Macinerney's Tales of an Urban Werewolf. While the first two were good and interesting, this one just had more to it. Sophie finally meets the father she never knew and doesn't necessarily draw out the welcome wagon for him, yet she is still curious to get to know the man who contributed to her birth. But when he is suddenly convicted of murder, she is set out to help him. She knows he didn't do it, she has a gut feeling. Which is a stretch, considering she barely knows the man, but what can you do?

While the writing was written very well, I am ashamed that Sophie felt inclined to help her father out. She believes him when he said he was innocent. Yet this was the man who decided not to follow his family out of Paris. Why help him? She felt resentment over the years of not having him around and hated what he did to her mother, leaving her heartbroken and yet she still helps him. Still wants to be daddy's girl. As having a father who didn't really want to be a father, I can honestly say I wouldn't help mine out if he was convicted of murder. I would let the wolves have at him. But I guess I can see in some ways where the two differ. Luc wanted his family out of Paris or else they would be killed while the current Paris pack leader had an "I hate humans" thing going on. We do get to see a different side to Luc and hear what he had to say, but at times I felt like he thought that Sophie had to rescue him because he was her father. And, again, I say the father that abandoned her--in some ways.

But that's besides the point, that was my main dislike of the book. Other than that it was very intriguing. We get to see more of Mark and Sophie is still reeling to know what he is and we finally get to know what he is. And boy was that a surprise. I had some feeling of it, but not in all it's entirety. There are also quite a few twists and turns in the love department, new revelations and all. I won't say who for, but I did see them turning out that way. While it was mildly predictable it was still quite a turn around!

The ending was just as phenomenal. Again, I could see it panning out this way, but again, not entirely. Once events started you could fairly easily guess their turnout. That is what I mean by predictable. I rarely ever can predict the true ending before it starts out. Once the course of actions begin to take place, you know where they are going. Read the book and you will understand what I mean.

While, so far to my knowledge, Karen has no mentioning of a fourth book, I want to say there will be one eventually. Just by the way the book ended, a vague feeling that all has not truly settled down for Sophie and that more is likely to come her way, makes me feel that another book is likely. But again, as far as I know there hasn't been mentioning of one yet. If anyone else does know feel free to leave a comment with your knowledge!

Aug 6, 2009

Review--Some Girls Bite


They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago's vampires announced theirexistence to the world-and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker... and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I've traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four hundred year old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude-and servitude. Right...

But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I'm surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan's attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone's still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood...

Just re-read Chloe Neill's Some Girls Bite, her debut novel into vampiredom. Vampires rule Chicago, another reason to visit the Windy City! This was a fascinating novel that had even had a bit of mystery in with it's urban fantasy genre.

As the description says Merit has been changed into a vampire, not by choice, but to save her life and now she must make the best of it for better or worse. But that's not all she's learning, she's learning a lot of other things about her life that she never knew before. Family secrets. A secret about her best friend that even she [her friend] didn't know.

There was just so many twists and turns that it was a shame that the book had to end when it did! Chloe has a very nice way of writing, I love it. We are in Merit's p.o.v. and she has that nice sassy attitude where she says exactly what I would've in the situation! She doesn't let anyone push her around, not even her Master Vamp, the one where she has conflicting feelings over. Is she really feeling something for him or is it just a Master thing?

Merit is up to her neck in problems, problems with being a vamp, problems with the murders that are occuring around town, murders that are linked back to the very vampires that rescued her. Are they really the ones responsible? Or is something more sinister going on?

You'll have to read to find out. Enjoy a bit of the Chicago nightlife without ever having to step foot from your house with The Chicagoland Vampires: Some Girls Bite.

And look for the next Chicagoland Vampires novel, Friday Night Bites, in which Merit's adventures continue! Coming to a bookstore near you October 6 2009!

Here's what on the back of the book:

Vamps in Chicago!

You'd think headlines like that would have provoked the fine citizens of the Windy City to take up arms against us bloodsucking fiends. Instead, ten months later, we're enjoying a celebrity status reserved for the Hollywood elite—fending off paparazzi only slightly less dangerous than cross and stake-wielding slayers. Don't get me wrong, Joe Public isn't exactly thrilled to be living side-by-side with the undead, but at least they haven't stormed the castle yet.

But all that will change once they learn about the Raves—mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle and drink themselves silly. Most civilized vampires frown on this behavior, putting mere mortals at ease with their policy of asking a person's consent before taking a big gulp of the red stuff. However, that doesn't make good copy for a first time reporter looking to impress his high society family.

So now my "master," the centuries old, yet gorgeously well-preserved Ethan Sullivan, wants me to reconnect with my own upper class family and act as liaison between humans and vampires—and keep the more unsavory aspects of our existence out of the media. But someone doesn't want people and vamps to play nicey-nice—someone with an ancient grudge.

Aug 4, 2009

Review--Storm Born


Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants...

Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy--one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.

Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her...


I just started this series recently based on some recommendations from other Richelle Mead fans, and all I can say is I am glad that I did. This book is so different than anything I would've expected. Shamans, shapeshifters, fey, fairies and other supernatural creatures that I didn't know existed!

As the blurb above explains, Eugenie is a shaman, she has the ability to send demons or other nasties back to the Otherworld, where they all live or to the Underworld, where they die. There is no returning to any worlds once you are sent to the Underworld.

Eugenie is really in the thick of things once a prophecy goes out that her child will bring ultimate chaos to her world. Now demons and others are after her, either to help fulfill the prophecy or to stop it from happening by bringing about Eugenie's death.

Eugenie also learns more about herself, her heritage that her family has kept secret all her life. The new revelations are enough to shatter her world. As is having a kitsune--a fox shapeshifter--and a fairy king both vying for her attention. Only Eugenie has the power to put a stop to all this, but she needs to learn more about herself in order to accomplish said task of saving her world.

There were many twists and surprises in this book that I enjoyed very much. Having so many possible outcomes, I was surprised with the turnout! I mean some of it I knew, just by the the title of the next book in the series, Thorn Queen, which is out now. Actual release date is August 4th though. That will definitely be a book I will be getting and adding to my TBR pile.

I really enjoyed Richelle's writing for adults. I've read her YA Vampire Academy series and loved that and look forward to the next one in that. Her adult series is just as exciting and has the same kind of anticipation that I get from Vampire Academy. Richelle writes very realistically and yet still manages to incorporate the fantasy part in a way that is not overly confusing. When you create your own world, you know the rules, but others don't, so the writer must make her world understandable to the outsiders, and Richelle does this fabulously.


Aug 1, 2009

Contest Alert--at Fantastic Book Review



There is yet another contest to win a copy of My Soul to Take over at: http://fantasticbookreview.blogspot.com/2009/08/win-my-soul-to-take.html#comments

Again it's simple rules. Mostly commenting on the interview with Rachel and on the book review by Tina herself. Also there are extra points for posting the contest on your own blog, like I am!, being a follower--possibly becoming one too--, and following Tina on Twitter.

Contest ends at midnight (CST) August 15 2009 and is open to everyone!