WRG doing full on paranormal urban fantasy that is Fae-based in this one. The book length on opening my ebook seemed short to me, but there is a wholeWRG doing full on paranormal urban fantasy that is Fae-based in this one. The book length on opening my ebook seemed short to me, but there is a whole lot of development and action put into the story, and I want to find out more about the world and especially the characters.
There are three paranormals of varied origin, I was especially intrigued by the Korean one. The pov-character thinks of herself as human, but there are hints we might be dealing with an unreliable narrator here.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but has a lot of threads left to explore, it's more a happy(?)-for now. Let's say the protagonist feels much safer and less alone than at the start of the book. Which, considering the things shown in the book, may not be the case if you put in human standards of those words.
Sidenote: WRG has had some quite horrific scenes in other fantasies, Wolfskin and the murders in Masques come to mind, so be aware that you should have an okay stomach for the aftermath of gruesome murders - although it was nowhere near as horrifying to me as the descriptions of torture in Strange Practice....more
Rachel Neumeier is getting ever more adept at paranormal suspense - making me think of other authors I love in that genre, like Eileen Wilks, PatriciaRachel Neumeier is getting ever more adept at paranormal suspense - making me think of other authors I love in that genre, like Eileen Wilks, Patricia Briggs or Ilona Andrews.
The fact that her point-of-view characters are all young adults and a family, with different aspects of the paranormal world that is introduced here in focus, makes this series unique though. The action and the stakes are becoming more complex and at the same time more focussed, as details get unveiled. You never get lost however, if you have read the previous books and know the background.
I have one niggle though, being German myself, which only comes up when talking about what the Pure bring to the Black Dogs: The Beschwichtigand should either be Beschwichtigung (noun) or Beschwichtigend (adjective), heh....more
Now this is my second favourite retelling of Beauty and the Beast after the McKinley version (Beauty - I have to name which one, as Robin McKinley hasNow this is my second favourite retelling of Beauty and the Beast after the McKinley version (Beauty - I have to name which one, as Robin McKinley has based a number of her novels on the basis, not to mention has written two clear retellings, the second one is Rosedaughter).
In her afterword she mentions that this version is based on the version of 1740 and to me it seems to make the whole situation more plausible.
This book isn't as as grim in tone as I remember Rosedaughter to be (have never reread it), nor as Disney-Princess (or maybe more children's books Miyazaki-heroine) fun as Beauty (although it also has a very nifty horse), and the turns and twists and eventual outcome just seem very right for the story.
I thought it would be cut short as it was only 150 pages on my e-Reader, but it gives enough room to all the characters to breathe and the story to unfold without feeling rushed or rambling, a tribute to the skill of the author....more
I got this on the strength of enjoying Twelve Days of Fairy, so I checked the author's website and thought this one sounded really good.
It's a riff ofI got this on the strength of enjoying Twelve Days of Fairy, so I checked the author's website and thought this one sounded really good.
It's a riff off Sleeping Beauty with a magic system all its own, but very much based on the European fairy tale tradition, although Fae don't make an appearance in this book. There's a cool twist on who the Sleeping Beauty actually is and who awakens her, and because it's all interconnected her missing memories are not mcguffins but necessary to the development of the story and Poly regaining (in some ways gaining for the first time) agency for herself.
At the end there's an action by the heroine which I did not think rang true to her previous thoughts about the antagonist and the care which she had always handled him with and so the end is open for his possible return, but really that's not a deal-breaker if you enjoyed the characters and world before.
There are plot threads left dangling, although we get a happy-for-the-forseeable-future ending. I'll put them behind the spoiler tag: (view spoiler)[Who the heck is Onepiece, how did he get into his situation and why is he so good with magic? Will the fact that Mordion escaped the painting mean that he shows up again (why did you get complacent, Poly, you never were complacent about him before). What happened to her parents and how will they get back? (hide spoiler)]...more
On my 2nd read I still really enjoyed it. Made me grab my other favourite of hers, Spindle, and am now reading that. Might reread Wolfskin after that.On my 2nd read I still really enjoyed it. Made me grab my other favourite of hers, Spindle, and am now reading that. Might reread Wolfskin after that. She has a voice of her own and I like her world and characters.
This book can be read standalone, as the protagonists of the other books in the series switch over. The shards of the sword being the thread that binds the story. There'll be a single volume edition at the end of Januar 2017 so I'll get that and see what happens (it includes a short story with Carmine, how could I resist after this book).
ETA: I now remember how I came across this - it was suggested in the Goodreads side panel and then I clicked on the link as I quite liked the cover design, and looked at reviews, and there was a very good one by Intisar Khanani, whose books I have enjoyed, as well. It is quite detailed but I don't mind getting a lot of info usually, because the way through the book is the actual reward of reading it, not the bones of a summary. ...more
**spoiler alert** This book, just as Andrea mentions in her blog post, is set after Gratuitous Epilogue and builds on that from its timeline, but the **spoiler alert** This book, just as Andrea mentions in her blog post, is set after Gratuitous Epilogue and builds on that from its timeline, but the focus is squarely on the new immigrants from Earth and not on Cass and the Setari - I loved that it shone a light into corners that Andrea couldn't fit in with the rest of the series, but also gives a further look to the future than was possible so far.
I love the closer look at the Kalrani programme and the family interactions and Aunt Sue is amazing - I took note of her when she took that video of Cass in book one but she's a tour de force (Andrea, I'll buy a book with her any time... what am I saying I'll buy anything in this series) and the background of Gidds Selkie and his family.
Andrea says this is her first clear romance and it is that, but as always with this series it illuminates more than just the couple in question. Especially Laura's history and the way she does family and where Cass gets it from, but also where Cass has grown to be her own woman and not just 'daughter of her mother' are shown.
So why am I giving the book only four stars: (view spoiler)[Because the end epilogue jumps the shark for me. I could see the leaking of the info, I liked how Aunt Bet was described and how uncomfortable it can be when the impact of the knowledge of that dimensional tear leads to decisions in your own immediate family that you might not be able to stop. I even thought the idea of a diplomatic mission to Earth was cool - considering that it'll be at least a year until those 30 people can go back to Muina, but the idea of those 30 people already having the permission to share all their technology with Earth? Let's just say if 2016 hadn't happened, if we didn't have Erdoyan and the AfD, Brexit and Trump as US President,... maybe then I'd have seen us as mature enough to not deal in an abusive way with that knowledge. (hide spoiler)]
But that's on me and not on the hopeful view of the book. ^^ By the way, on my Sony eReader the book had 209 pages. Full disclosure: This book was a gift from the author to me as a major fangirl. I'd have bought it, of course, if I'd known it was coming....more
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