Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

We're not quite family

Oh my goodness!!!! Just finished a fantastic new read! So many exclamation points are needed to express my delight after reading "Timeless" byfirst time author Alexandra Monir! I know what you're thinking & you're wrong. Ash handed me the book & I started half-heartedly reading it @ 6pm friday, read it seriously by 10, & was dreaming about what would come next.

Like all good Disney films, "Timeless" starts with our leading lady becoming an orphan. (go ahead, prove me wrong. No princess has both parents."Sleeping Beauty" doesn't count since she was hidden away from both of them) Instead of getting to go live with one of her best friends, however, Michele Windsor is sent to live with her grandparents in NYC. The very people her mother ran away from when they disapproved of her choice of husband.....a man Michele never knew. What she finds there is not just the opposite of everything she had ever known, but an intensly lonely feeling. And a mystery.

While exploring her rooms, Michele comes across a locked drawer. Odd in and of itself, but downri th t wierd when the mysterious key in her mother's belongings reacts to it. Unlocking the drawer finds Michele & the reader transported into history. History of the city, history of the Windsor family, history of romances......and is that Michele's father we just ran into? Michele seems to only be visible to whichever Windsor girl occupies her rooms with each trip. Her new found family pride & intrigue keeps the pages flying by.

Did Michele's dad break the time travel code? Does Michele's trips cause a feud with the Walker family next door....a hundred or so years ago? What do all the Windsot women that lived in those rooms share that makes this fantastical journey possible? Most importantly, when do we get a second book?!?!

Go, run, get "Timeless" & go on an adventure unlike any other!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Tink's a Disney Whore!

A witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixie get into a powdered blue Buick…

No, it’s not the beginnings to a horrible joke, but the start of Pale Demon, book nine of the fantastic Hollows series by Kim Harrison.

Book Blurb From Borders.com:

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Complete fan girl squeals and happy dances all around. From the moment I finished Black Magic Sanction last February, I’ve wanted to read this book. Each Hollows addition is better than the last and Pale Demon is once again my favorite so far. Why? Because of a certain cookie-sniffing shoe maker.

Tink’s a Disney Whore! Yes, I mean Trent Kalamack. Ever since we first met him in Dead Witch Walking, I’ve loved the chemistry in every scene with him and Rachel. They’ve out right hated each other, have both tried to kill the other and yet can work together when the situation calls for it, to both their dismays. So when Kim announced that Pale Demon was going to lock the two of them in a car for 2300 miles, my first thought was “this is gonna be good.” Understatement. What I loved was that we don’t see the polished professional Trent personifies as he pursues political office (say that three times fast), runs illegal Brimstone smuggling operations and tries to find the cure to the curse demons have placed on the elven race. We see Trent disheveled, embarrassed, making mistakes and otherwise being…human.

And Rachel notices too.

Rachel herself faces trial after trial as the Coven tries to stop her from getting to the conference to clear her name (the Coven can’t be trusted), as assassins hunt Trent for reasons he won’t disclose (typical), as Al tries to convince her to shun reality, embrace her inner demoness and join him in the ever-after (the most likely outcome of the conference), and never mind about the day-walking demon that has just placed her at the top of his want list (all in a day’s work). There’s always something or someone gunning for Rachel, trying to kill her, subvert her, manipulate her…and she survives. She takes what is thrown at her, reacting by the seat of her pants and often making bad decisions, but she survives and rises to protect those around her, even when they don’t want her protection (*cough* Trent *cough*). Rachel will always put others above herself and that’s what I love about her. When the cards are on the table and she knows she’s beat, she’ll sacrifice herself to make sure everyone else survives. We need more heroines like her.

And I want more Trent. When’s book 10 come out?

Pale Demon releases on Tuesday, February 22nd from HarperCollins. ARC provided by NetGalley.

Kelly Metz enjoys reading, writing, photography, her family and annoying her baby brother, who, while younger, is now over a foot taller than her and can punch much harder than when he was little. She spends her free time engaging in various torture activities, demon summonings, zombie raisings and spell casting. And writing when she gets bored with those. You can find her online at www.kellymetz.com or follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/bwlrgrl300

Friday, February 4, 2011

great things are coming from Maria Snyder

Wow oh wow oh wow!!!!  We found NetGalley and based on our blog and our profile, we have been lucky enough to get to read some amazing gallies instead of waiting and hoping for arcs.  First one finished: Outside In by Maria Snyder.

We've been fans of Maria's for awhile now and have been lucky to have her come to the stores we work at to sign, do meet-and-greets, and have book release parties.  We know we're not the normal fans and maybe the gushing praise will turn some off. Well, I don't care.

Trella's back and not sure where she fits in her newly free world.  The pressure makes her start to crack.  While the Committee seems to work slower than our current Congress, Trella is craving to get back to exploring the Inside. The empty space discovered at the end of Inside Out is far more expansive than they could have imagined.  She also finds yet another secret area; this one contains what appears to be vehicles of some sort and weird symbols that may be the answers they've been arguing about in Committee meetings.

While the entirety of Inside waits for those they put in charge to actually do something, Trella's trying to come to terms with the fact that Dr. Lamont, the traitor in Trella's mind, just might be her mother.Saboteurs, Outsiders, and heartache seem to follow Trella and her band of merry men wherever they go. In the end, it's really about finding her place in her society and doing what's best for all......once she figures out what that might be. There's plenty of action, conspiracy, and yes a bit of love to make this a great read for teens & adults alike as well as keep either boys or girls glued to the pages. Ms Snyder once again manages to find a new spin on teen angst, the journey of self-discovery, and her magical ability to fully engross a reader in the world she's created.

While reading the advanced galley has been exciting, it has shown me that I will not be an e-book convert. Sure, a handheld device might be better than reading on my computer I have reaffirmed that I would rather have a paper copy of a book any day. I'll keep reading however I can so we can share new titles and authors with all of you.

Outside In comes out March 1, 2011. You can check out an excerpt and see where Maria Snyder is appearing on her website: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/. ARC provided by NetGalley

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Jane True is Truly Wonderful

Tempest Legacy by Nicole Peeler


This third book in the Jane True story is delightful. It continues the story of Jane in her exploration of who she is and this powerful, beautiful, and scary supernatural world she is now a  part of.  Jane once again gets caught up in a series of murder investigations with Ryu's team.  Fighting Ryu's wish that she moves to Boston with him, Jane is finding the dynamic of her romantic feelings to be changing.  Not sure who to trust Jane is beginning to stand on her own two feet. 


These books have it all; murder and mystery, humor that's laugh out loud, a paranormal world that is fascinating, romance that is both hot and touchingly sweet, and are an overall must read.  If you enjoy Sookie Stackhouse, you will love Jane True.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Oh, Sookie, Sookie

As promised the new Charlaine Harris, Dead in the Family.  Well this one picks up where Dead and Gone left off and without ruinning anything in the series here you go.

Without the outright possiblilty of getting hurt like with the vampire summit or the shifter war, (which Sookie is still recovering from) Sookie may have the chance to spend some time with her new/old lover.  Eric completely remembers his time hiding out at her place and is trying to figure out what to do about it. While the vampire empire has been taken over and Eric is trying to secure a place within it; Eric's maker pays a visit with his new child. 

This is not to say that Sookie's life is calm and easy. The shifters are using her land, there is a fairy wandering in her woods, she has a new roommate, there's baby showers and oh yea, a wedding of sorts. While all these changes are happening in Sookie's world she is being framed for murder with a body in her woods. 

This continues to be what you would expect from Charlaine Harris and I can't wait until the next one.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

"Inside Out" by Maria Snyder

Our first book back is the newest by one of our faves, Maria Snyder. A "local" author for us, Maria writes for the booklover in all of us. Her newest is no different.

Full of twists, turns, and the ocasional caste system, "Inside Out" is a welcome departure from Ms. Snyder's other series. While a gigantic fan of both the "Poison/Magic/Fire Study" novels as well as the newer glass series (Spy Glass out this fall), this new venture is a fantastic break. Trella is a scrub. She makes sure the pipes stay clean and do what they should. Trella is one of thousands who work the lower levels. As the back of the book says: "I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I ocasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels?"

Following Trella and her friends as they inadvertently start a revolution, the reader gets a glimpse of what the age old haves/havenots struggle has always been about. add to it a sci-fi twist and the adventure takes on an interesting new direction. (it's so hard to tell you to go read this book without giving it all away- aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!) Some questions to think about when reading:

Does Trella have what it takes to take down the system?
If she takes it down, what will happen to the world she knows?
Does she have parents? And if so, do they know where she is?
What is Gateway and does it really exist?

Have I peaked your interest? I hope so. Run, don't walk to your closest bookstore and pick up "Inside Out" by Maria Snyder as soon as possible.

Too bad I have to wait until next year for "Outside In". It will feel like forever.

Remember kids, reading is good for you and makes your parents wonder what you've done!!

kat & ash

Friday, August 21, 2009

EVIL? by Timothy Carter

A teenage boy's body is his own and he can do with it what he wants, right? Well, not so much in the Northern Ontario town of Ice Lake. Stuart finds that outside influences are creating havoc in his little town. So much so that the openly gay Stuart and his many friends can't even be alone with their thoughts. Fallen angels, demons, priests, a slightly warped sense of public right all come together to make quite a funny read.

Here's what my 13-yr old nephew had to say after reading it:
This book is called EVIL. It is about a boy named Stuart and he is openly gay. His brother James caught him doing the Sin of Onan. Now a fallen angel has come to rid the town from anyone whoever had an "impure" thought. With the help of his demon friend Fon Pyre he will attempt to destroy the fallen angel. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes fiction and is 13 or above.

My take? It's a pretty funny read that anyone would love. Definitely meant for the teen scene, but most adults who suffered through health class and Sunday school will find it a great read too.

Coming August 2009 from Flux