They say there’s a certain amount of truth in fairy tales. Despite their fantastical nature, the stories usually have some basis in reality, providing a moral compass during turbulent times, often teaching lessons which can be applied to one’s own life. If nothing else, the “trueness” may lie in the big picture rather than the details, such as the honesty of the character’s emotions or the essence of their relationships. How far would you go to save someone you love, for instance? And what might you be willing to sacrifice to get your happily ever after? Roses and Rot is a novel that encompasses these concepts, using metafiction to address the basic literary conventions of fairy tales in order to convey the story’s full purpose and meaning. It follows the lives of two sisters, both of whom are talented artists in their own fields. Imogen, our narrator, is a writer, while her younger sibling Marin’s passion is in dance. The two of them grew up together suffering at the hands of their cruel, controlling and abusive mother, but it was awkward and introspective Imogen who bore the brunt of the mistreatment. This prompted Imogen to leave home as soon as…

I spotted Stranger of Tempest a while ago when the stunning cover was running amok on the internet and was immediately keen to pick up a copy as it looked and sounded great.  Does the book live up to the promise?  Yes, I’m happy to say it does.  I found this a really intriguing story and a great set up for the rest of the series.  It’s a great blend of fantasy and action set predominantly in dark tunnels and a ruined city that are riddled with scary creatures, unusual dwellers and something even darker that stalks the night At the start of the story we witness a man called Lynx as he searches for his latest meal ticket.  He reluctantly finds work with a band of mercenaries known as The Cards who are about to head out on their latest mission.  Lynx is answerable to nobody, he doesn’t seek much in life above a full stomach and is content to take on any number of small jobs usually trying to avoid bands of mercenaries and other conflicts.  However, when he’s approached by a group of hardened mercs who are about to take on the rescue of a kidnapped young…

Warrior Witch by Danielle L Jensen is the final instalment from The Malediction Trilogy that brought to us Stolen Songbird and Hidden Huntress.  If you haven’t picked up these books yet please be aware that the following review will contain spoilers. I must confess from the outset that I had mixed feelings about Warrior Witch and I’ve taken a little longer than normal to reflect before writing this review.  Now, let me be clear by saying that I didn’t dislike this book but by the same token I didn’t love it either, I am however pleased that I finished the series.  I think this was always going to be a story that would be difficult to conclude.  Sometimes you’re so caught up in a story that you can’t see the wood for the trees even though deep down, at the back of your mind, you have concerns about how it could possibly conclude satisfactorily.  I think the Malediction Trilogy is one of those series.  That probably sounds like a massive spoiler but please trust me when I say it really isn’t! To give a recap.   The Malediction Trilogy brings to us a world of magic, fae and trolls.  The…

Hex is a unique story about a witch who haunts the inhabitants of a small town.  It’s a creepy tale that stays with you after you finish reading and gives you plenty of food for thought – but probably in a way that you really wouldn’t expect.   Katherine van Wyler was sentenced to death for witchcraft by the towns people of Black Springs in the year 1664.  Unfortunately for the people of Black Springs Katherine took her death sentence rather badly and ever since has haunted the towns people who are now, effectively cursed.   I think Hex probably has one of the most unusual concepts for a creepy tale that I’ve ever come across.  A witch who haunts a town and literally walks the streets or shows up in people’s houses.  What makes this worse is that Katherine has her eyes and mouth sewn shut and is wrapped with chains.  Her appearance is usually preceded by the smell of rot and the stench of dirty water and if the inhabitants listen closely enough they can hear Katherine whispering quietly a string of vitriol that can cause madness and worse in any that overhear her words.  Now imagine that some people…

Sometimes you step tentatively into a book, not quite sure where the intersection of your hopes and expectations will lie. Urban Fantasy is not generally a must-read genre for me, but I’ve become a fan of Kristi Charish’s Adventures of Owl. Having said that, however, I know that much of the appeal in that series (for me, at least) is in the archaeology and the mythology. As such, I really wasn’t sure if I was up for a more, for lack of a better word, generic urban fantasy. Well, let me spare you the suspense and declare that The Voodoo Killings marks the start of another fantastic series – one that I wouldn’t have otherwise been drawn to, but which I am very glad I was. It’s a ghost story with a twist, and a voodoo tale with far more depth than even a fan of her work might expect. Strange is a very different sort of heroine than Owl, more likable in personality and more deliberate in her planning, but still just as compelling. Where the book really began to win me over, though, was with our first trip into Seattle’s Underground City – and not the one tourists get to explore. There’s some real world building here, establishing…

Grady Hendrix has done it again. A couple of years ago, I fell hard for Horrorstör, a horror tale set in an IKEA-like retail store, and I’ve been waiting anxiously for his follow-up novel ever since. My Best Friend’s Exorcism has much of the same type of horror/humor mash-up that I loved in Horrorstör, with the addition of a heartwarming story about a life-long friendship. Even better, for those of us who fondly remember the 80s, Hendrix takes us back in time to the era of cassette tapes, big hair, the AIDS scare and many more iconic 80s moments.  But don’t let that fool you. This is a horror story with some very creepy and unsettling moments. Hendrix has toned down the over-the-top crazy horror in his first book and given us a much subtler terror this time around, the kind that ratchets up slowly until the suspense is nearly killing you. The story is set in 1988 and mostly takes place at a small private high school in Charleston, SC. Abby and her three closest friends—Gretchen, Margaret and Glee—are sophomores at Albemarle Academy, and life is pretty much status quo. Their lives are full of school work, boys, the latest…

Children of Earth and Sky is Kay’s latest novel, set in war torn lands. The cast is comprised of a variety of characters, characters that are unlikely companions, crossing paths only by chance. As with Kay’s other books, this is set in a fictional land/world, but quite closely matches our own. There are a good number of characters in this, but I think it works well as it helps give perspectives and information from a variety of sources. This always helps paint a broader picture. That said, some readers may find it breaks the flow of the story a bit as the story is often jumping from one story to another. Personally, this is not an aspect that bothers me but I do know some readers prefer a more constant source for the story. As one might expect, this world can brutal, and there are great hardships that help steer our characters onto their current courses. Danica is a determined young woman, set of on vengeance for the loss of her family. She is fiercely independent and not afraid of calculated risks. Honestly, she does not seem to fear much in this world. Perhaps that comes from losing so much….

This book is marketed as “an epic fantasy, in miniature” and I agree with that statement – to a certain extent. A great deal of time and effort goes in to the magic and world-building, and it pays off, but to my disappointment, outside of the magic gems, there was not much else. Jewel Lin is daughter to the King of the Jewel Valley. Lin’s Lapidary is Sima, and her father is the King’s Lapidary. Lapidaries have the power to talk to gems and they serve the Jewels. In order to become a Lapidary, you must first have the ability to hear gems talking, and then, you must take your vows; two of which are: a lapidary obeys their Jewel, and a lapidary must protect their Jewel. Those are two of the vows that Sima’s father broke, who went gem-mad, and turned over the Valley Kingdom to the Mountain Kingdom, destroying most of the Jewel’s gems and murdering all of the Jewels – except for Lin. It is just Lin and Sima alive now in the Court, and the general of the Mountain army is coming through the gates to try to claim her new kingdom and gems. Two of the…

Has a book ever made you feel completely uncertain of how you’ll rate it? Like, what if you’re blown away by its ideas, but at the same time they make you feel utterly out of your depth? Or maybe, a book that you didn’t think would fit your tastes actually ends up surprising the hell out of you. Truth be told, it’s not often that I experience such conflict with a novel, but I’m also not surprised to find myself feeling like this about Too Like the Lightning. After all, it only makes sense that a complex book will require a complex review. Technically, Ada Palma’s debut novel can be described as political science fiction, but that’s also a gross oversimplification, for here you will also find plenty of historical allusions, social commentary, and philosophical discourse—all coupled with more traditional elements of the genre. In addition, the “story” here isn’t really that but a whole lot more, but I’ll go further into that later. First, we’re introduced to our narrator, Mycroft Canner, writing this account in the year 2454. The world has transformed into a utopia where fast, expedient travel to and from any point in the world has effectively made…

City of the Lost is the first book in a new series from Canadian mega-author Kelley Armstrong; unlike the majority of Armstrong’s works, this book is a thriller without any obvious speculative elements. Set in the northernmost territory of Canada, the horror in City of the Lost comes not from the supernatural, but from the horrors people will commit when removed from the constraints of civilization. To save her best friend Diana and escape her troubled past, homicide detective Casey Duncan agrees to an insane proposition: in exchange for her crime-solving skills (and a “small” fee, of course) Casey and Diana will be erased, disappearing from society into an off-the-map settlement called Rockton. A community of approximately 200 people, Rockton is a safe haven for those who need to escape. With no internet access, no electricity, and no marked location, Rockton truly is the city of the lost. The setting of City of the Lost is so crucial to the story that it’s almost a character unto itself. Inspired by a family vacation Armstrong took to the Yukon, this novel showcases Canada’s stark northern beauty. Surrounded by the tundra and boreal forests, Rockton is a cross between a frontier town…