Straight From Your Nightmares: Red Right Hand by Levi Black

Author: Levi Black

Series: No info

Released: July 26th 2016

Publisher: Tor Books

Length: 304 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Charlie Tristan Moore isn't a hero. She's a survivor. On a night when her demons from the past are triggered, she arrives home to something even more harrowing-an attack by three monstrous skinhounds, creatures straight out of nightmares. She fights but is outmatched. Just as hope seems lost, in sweeps The Man In Black, a rescuer even more monstrous and unlikely, dressed in a long, dark coat that seems to have a life of its own and with a black-bladed sword held in his terrible, red right hand. 

Her rescue comes at a cost. She must become his new Acolyte and embrace a dark magick she never knew she had inside her. To ensure she gives it her all, he takes her friend and possible love, Daniel, in thrall as a hostage to her obedience. The Man in Black, a Lovecraftian chaos god, claims to be battling his brethren gods, other horrors who are staging an incipient apocalypse. But is he truly the lesser of all evils or merely killing off the competition? Either way, will Charlie be strong enough to save herself, Daniel, and possibly the entire world?

Like so many other horror fans, I grew up reading Lovecraft’s tales, especially The Call of Cthulhu. First published in a pulp magazine in 1926, the story signified a new direction in horror fiction that later developed into a whole new subgenre, nowadays known as Lovecraftian horror. It is the type of horror that completely disregards the value of ordinary human life and paints humans as insignificant and small compared to the extraordinary and unfathomable universe.

Review: Vicarious

Author: Paula Stokes

Series: Vicarious, #1

Relased: August 16th 2016

Publisher: Tor Teen

Length: 334 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, have always been inseparable. Together, the two of them survived growing up in a Korean orphanage and being trafficked into the United States. 

Now they work as digital stunt girls for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon, engaging in dangerous and enticing activities while recording their neural impulses for his Vicarious Sensory Experiences, or ViSEs. Whether it’s bungee jumping, shark diving, or grinding up against celebrities at the city’s hottest dance clubs, Gideon can make it happen for you, for a price.

When Rose disappears and a ViSE recording of her murder is delivered to Gideon, Winter won’t rest until she finds her sister’s killer. But when the clues she uncovers conflict with the neural recordings her sister made, Winter isn’t sure what to believe. To find out what happened to Rose, she’ll have to untangle what’s real from what only seems real, risking her life in the process.

There really aren’t that many YA books that embrace the harsh realities of the world we live in. Even when writing a sci-fi thriller, Paula Stokes is courageous enough to do so. She doesn’t embellish, she refuses to sugarcoat, and she throws the ugliest bits right in our faces. While I wouldn’t debate its appropriateness for younger teens (I still struggle with determining the lines for my kiddo), I applaud Stokes for taking us where so few YA authors have gone before.

Review: Rebellion

Author: J.A. Souders

Series: Elysium Chronicles, #3

Released: July 12th 2016

Publisher: Tor Teen

Length: 334 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

In this conclusion to J. A. Souders’s thrilling, twist-filled Elysium Chronicles series, Evie Winters and Gavin Hunter return to the isolated, dangerous underwater city that they fought so hard to escape.

Back in Elysium at last, Evie has finally found her true self hidden under layers and layers of false memories implanted by the woman she knew as Mother. Thanks to the intervention of her father, she knows the horrible truth about Mother and her insidious plans for her city. With the help of the love of her life, Gavin, and her best friend, Asher St. James, she’s determined to free her people from the cruel dictatorship of Mother’s laws. But how do you free people who don’t know they need rescuing?

Working with the growing Underground rebellion, Evie tries to remove Mother from her position by force—with disastrous results. As the body count rises, Evie must find a way to save Elysium before Mother destroys them all.

Almost three years have passed since the release of Revelations, the previous book in J. A. Souders’ Elysium chronicles trilogy, but loyal fans haven’t forgotten Evie, Gavin or Asher. Renegade gave us a chance to explore a gorgeous underwater view with a very dark side, and Revelations really developed our three main characters and set them on a dangerous path.

Review: Every Heart a Doorway

Author: Seanan McGuire

Series: Every Heart, #1

Released: April 5th 2016

Publisher: Tor

Length: 173 pages

Source: Publisher for review

Buy: Amazon

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children

No Solicitations

No Visitors

No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Seanan McGuire’s obsession with fairy tales comes through loud and clear in her work. She tends to use fairy tales as a springboard of sorts, but she always lands on a completely uncharted territory. Indexing might be the best example of this, but Every Heart a Doorway isn’t far behind.

Review: Ungodly

Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Goddess War, #3
Released: September 22nd 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 368 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

As ancient immortals are left reeling, a modern Athena and Hermes search the world for answers in the final Goddess War novel by the acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood

For the Goddess of Wisdom, what Athena didn’t know could fill a book. That’s what Ares said.

So she was wrong about some things. So the assault on Olympus left them beaten and scattered and possibly dead. So they have to fight the Fates themselves, who, it turns out, are the source of the gods’ illness. And sure, Athena is stuck in the underworld, holding the body of the only hero she has ever loved.

But Hermes is still topside, trying to power up Andie and Henry before he runs out of time and dies, or the Fates arrive to eat their faces.

And Cassandra is up there somewhere too. On a quest for death. With the god of death.

Just because things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, it doesn't mean they’ve lost. They’ve only mostly lost. And there’s a big difference. 

Those of us who’ve been waiting for Ungodly with bated breath knew right from the start that this would not be a lighthearted conclusion. Greek gods come and do as they please and they tend to leave nothing but blood in their wake. So when you put those gods in the hands of someone like Kendare Blake, an author known for her talent in writing blood and gore, a bloody battle is pretty much what you’re going to get.

Review: Seriously Wicked

Author: Tina Connolly
Series: Standalone
Released: May 5th 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 208 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

The only thing worse than being a witch is living with one.

Camellia’s adopted mother wants Cam to grow up to be just like her. Problem is, Mom’s a seriously wicked witch.

Cam’s used to stopping the witch’s crazy schemes for world domination. But when the witch summons a demon, he gets loose—and into Devon, the cute new boy at school.

Now Cam’s suddenly got bigger problems than passing Algebra. Her friends are getting zombiefied. Their dragon is tired of hiding in the RV garage. For being a shy boy-band boy, Devon is sure kissing a bunch of girls. And a phoenix hidden in the school is going to explode on the night of the Halloween Dance.

To stop the demon before he destroys Devon’s soul, Cam might have to try a spell of her own. But if she’s willing to work spells like the witch...will that mean she’s wicked too?

Although it falls somewhere between middle grade and young adult fiction, Seriously Wicked is a very entertaining book for readers of all ages. In it, author Tina Connolly – known first and foremost for her Ironskin trilogy – allowed her imagination and her considerable sense of humor to run wild. The end result is a book that, despite being somewhat naïve and predictable, makes us laugh at every turn.

Review: Revolution

Author: Jenna Black
Series: Replica, #3
Released: November 11th 2014
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Nadia Lake and Nate Hayes find themselves at the center of a horrifying conspiracy in this action-packed finale of Jenna Black’s SF romance series that began with Replica

From the author of the Faeriewalker series comes the stunning conclusion to the young adult science fiction thriller series that began with Replica and continued in Resistance.

At the conclusion of Resistance, Nadia Lake and the Replica of her best friend, Nate Hayes, found themselves at the center of a horrifying conspiracy. Framed for murder and wanted by the government, they have no choice but to go underground and seek refuge in the dangerous, gang-ridden slums of the Basement. 

Jenna Black brings readers an action-packed final installment that will have them racing to the finish. 

Saying goodbye to dear characters is never easy, but when they’ve been through hell and back in the time you’ve spent with them, it’s even harder to let them go. My time with Nadia, Nate, Bishop, Agnes and Dante was exciting and wonderful, and I'll gladly join them again if Jenna Black ever decides to revisit them.

Review: The Glass Arrow

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Standalone
Released: February 10th 2015
Publisher: TorTeen
Length: 320 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

For some reason, I was quite sure The Glass Arrow would be a fantasy book. The cover certainly points that way, and although I should not have assumed, I was still surprised to find a complex dystopia instead of the fantasy novel I was hoping for.

Review: Mortal Gods

Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Goddess War, #2
Released: October 14th 2014
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 341 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Ares, God of War, is leading the other dying gods into battle. Which is just fine with Athena. She's ready to wage a war of her own, and she's never liked him anyway. If Athena is lucky, the winning gods will have their immortality restored. If not, at least she'll have killed the bloody lot of them, and she and Hermes can die in peace.

Cassandra Weaver is a weapon of fate. The girl who kills gods. But all she wants is for the god she loved and lost to return to life. If she can't have that, then the other gods will burn, starting with his murderer, Aphrodite.

The alliance between Cassandra and Athena is fragile. Cassandra suspects Athena lacks the will to truly kill her own family. And Athena fears that Cassandra's hate will get them ALL killed.

The war takes them across the globe, searching for lost gods, old enemies, and Achilles, the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. As the struggle escalates, Athena and Cassandra must find a way to work together. Because if they can't, fates far worse than death await.

A few years ago, when Kendare Blake first published Anna Dressed in Blood and completely won us over, I never dreamed that her books could become even better. Anna was such a spectacular debut that it left very little room for improvement. And yet here we are, in the middle of a new series that is even more beautiful, more mature, written with a surer hand and far greater control over the narrative.

Short and Exciting: Expiration Day and Whisper the Dead

Author: William Campbell Powell
Series: Standalone
Released: April 22nd 2014
Publisher: Tor Teen
Length: 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Expiration Day

What happens when you turn eighteen and there are no more tomorrows?

It is the year 2049, and humanity is on the brink of extinction….

Tania Deeley has always been told that she’s a rarity: a human child in a world where most children are sophisticated androids manufactured by Oxted Corporation. When a decline in global fertility ensued, it was the creation of these near-perfect human copies called teknoids that helped to prevent the utter collapse of society.

Though she has always been aware of the existence of teknoids, it is not until her first day at The Lady Maud High School for Girls that Tania realizes that her best friend, Siân, may be one. Returning home from the summer holiday, she is shocked by how much Siân has changed. Is it possible that these changes were engineered by Oxted? And if Siân could be a teknoid, how many others in Tania’s life are not real?

Driven by the need to understand what sets teknoids apart from their human counterparts, Tania begins to seek answers. But time is running out. For everyone knows that on their eighteenth “birthdays,” teknoids must be returned to Oxted—never to be heard from again.

At first glance, Expiration Day may seem more appropriate for a middle grade audience, and perhaps it is. The protagonist is young and her voice is very immature, almost childish at times. But at the same time, William Powell’s thought-provoking book raises some very important existential and philosophical questions, things we all need to think about, regardless of our age. The bones of this story are certainly nothing new in the world of literature: a society that rarely produces children chooses to fill the void with teknoids, robot children that live a normal childhood until their eighteenth birthday. The teknoids are crafted exceptionally well; most of them don’t even know they’re not human until Oxted, the company that manufactured them, comes to collect them when they become of age.

Review: Resistance

Author: Jenna Black
Series: Replica, #2
Released: May 11th 2015
Publisher: Tor Teen
Lenght: 368 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

Nate Hayes is a Replica.

The real Nate was viciously murdered, but thanks to Paxco’s groundbreaking human replication technology, a duplicate was created that holds all of the personality and the memories of the original. Or...almost all. Nate’s backup didn't extend to the days preceding his murder, leaving him searching for answers about who would kill him, and why. Now, after weeks spent attempting to solve his own murder with the help of his best friend and betrothed, Nadia Lake, Nate has found the answers he was seeking...and he doesn’t like what he’s discovered.

The original Nate was killed because he knew a secret that could change everything. Thanks to Nadia’s quick thinking, the two of them hold the cards now—or think they do.

Unfortunately, neither of them fully understands just how deep the conspiracy runs.

It seems to me that this wonderful trilogy by Jenna Black isn’t getting nearly the attention it deserves. I’ve always liked her adult urban fantasy books, but I have to admit I’m enjoying her YA work even more. There are a few things that make her stand out completely and they are exactly the things I appreciate.

Review: The Ophelia Prophecy

Author: Sharon Lynn Fisher
Published: April 1st 2014
Publisher: Tor Books
Format: Paperback, 320 pgs
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Our world is no longer our own. We engineered a race of superior fighters -- the Manti, mutant humans with insect-like abilities. Twenty-five years ago they all but destroyed us. In Sanctuary, some of us survive. Eking out our existence. Clinging to the past.

Some of us intend to do more than survive.

* * *

Asha and Pax -- strangers and enemies -- find themselves stranded together on the border of the last human city, neither with a memory of how they got there.

Asha is an archivist working to preserve humanity’s most valuable resource -- information -- viewed as the only means of resurrecting their society.

Pax is Manti, his Scarab ship a menacing presence in the skies over Sanctuary, keeping the last dregs of humanity in check.

Neither of them is really what they seem, and what humanity believes about the Manti is a lie.

With their hearts and fates on a collision course, they must unlock each other's secrets and forge a bond of trust before a rekindled conflict pushes their two races into repeating the mistakes of the past.

Well then, color me surprised. Romantic science fiction hasn’t been this good since Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series! With a strong worldbuilding and an even stronger romance, The Ophelia Prophecy is a breath of fresh air in a (sub)genre that desperately needs it.

Asha and Pax were born on opposite sides of a long and bloody conflict. She is one the few remaining humans, raised in the Sanctuary, humanity’s last stand. Pax is Manti, a human-animal genetic hybrid, and a prince of sorts among his kind. When they meet, both their memories have been tampered with, and Asha ends up as a prisoner on Pax’s spaceship, Banshee.

Paradoxically, the romance was both quick and slow to develop. The attraction was instantly there, as well as Pax’s determination to keep Asha safe, no matter the cost. But while strong, attraction wasn’t accompanied by trust, and it took these two a long time to learn how to trust each other. Asha, for her part, didn’t just hide behind the first strong man determined to protect her, not even when a big part of her wanted to start a relationship with him. She insisted on making her own choices, and for the most part, those choices lead to something good.

I was more than a little surprised by the quality of Fisher’s worldbuilding! Sci-fi romances are usually just romances with a few sci-fi elements thrown in as a disguise, but here I felt that the author achieved a perfect balance between the two and took her time to develop the world, the well thought-through plot, and the romantic entanglement(s).

Admittedly, the big finale was somewhat poorly handled. A big and important scene happened mostly away from the reader’s eyes, which I resented. The switching of POV in that particular moment was, I suppose, meant to increase the suspense, but it only managed to irritate me. Luckily, the switch didn’t last long and everything was adequately explained afterwards.

The ending left plenty of room for a sequel, and I do hope we’ll get one in the near future. I’ve grown to care for these characters and I wouldn’t mind another lengthy visit to their exciting world.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Review: Revelations (Elysium Chronicles, #2)

Author: J.A. Souders
Series: Elysium Chronicles, #2
Released: November 5th 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Hardcover, 352 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Six weeks after her arrival on the Surface, Evelyn Winters is no closer to unlocking the memories lost in her subconscious than she was when she first came. Isolated in a strange new society, Evie has only Gavin Hunter to remind her of who she once was.

But even with a clean slate, it’s easy to see that Evie doesn’t fit in on the Surface. And as her differences make her feel more and more alone, she can’t help but yearn for that place she doesn’t remember: the isolated city hidden in the depths of the ocean. Elysium. Home.

But she can’t exactly tell Gavin what she’s feeling. Not when he’s the one who helped her escape Elysium in the first place, and has the scars to prove it. Though the doctors say otherwise, Gavin believes that Evie just needs time. And if her memories don’t come back, well, maybe she’s better off not remembering her past.

But the decision may be out of their hands when Evie’s ever-elusive memories begin to collide with reality. People and images from her past appear in the most unlikely places, haunting her, provoking her…and making her seem not only strange but dangerous.

Evie and Gavin can’t wait around for her memories to return. They’ll have to journey across the Outlands of the Surface to find help, and in the end, their search may just lead them back to the place it all started…

Revelations was very high on my list of most coveted sequels in 2013. I was encouraged to read the first book Elysium Chronicles by some of my most trusted friends and I never regretted the decision – Elysium, the world Souders created under water, is seductive and frightening, beautiful on the outside and rotten and dangerous on the inside.

In Revelations, Souders succeded in transferring that same feeling of dread above ground. Evie, Gavin and Gavin’s former best friend Asher travel to the city in hopes of finding a cure for Evie’s memory loss and her inexplicable sleepwalking. Desperate for answers, they embark on a journey through forests full of predators and other dangers, armed with nothing more than a gun.

Evie and Gavin get separated for almost half of this book – a good thing, since it gives Evie a chance to grow and make her own decisions, wrong as they may be. As much as I like him, in trying to protect Evie, Gavin tends to behave patronizingly towards her, hiding facts from her and outright telling her what to do. This is the sort of behavior that can turn me against a character in a heartbeat, even one as kind and well-meaning as Gavin.

While entertaining and easily lovable, Asher is a character we’ve met many, many times before. He is the hero’s former best friend, now despised due to some error/misunderstanding on his part. He is mischievous, he takes everything far too lightly, but when he’s needed, he always comes through. I would have enjoyed meeting him more had he not reminded me of Puck on every corner.

Contrary to how it may sound, Revelations does not have a love triangle. I can’t deny the fact that Asher has feelings for Evie, but the nature of those feelings is still unclear, and Evie never for a second thinks about responding to them. She is utterly devoted to Gavin and Gavin to her, and while Asher poses a nice distraction for us readers, he is never a real threat to the relationship between our POV characters.

As a villain, Mother lacks details and motivations that would take her from merely scary to truly memorable and petrifying. There is so much potential in this character, but in order to reach it, Souders has to give her just a touch of humanity to make the awful sides of her stand out in even sharper contrast. This is not a person to mess with, that much is clear, she is deranged and delusional, completely incapable of feeling remorse, but I can’t stop myself from wishing for more from her. Hopefully, Souders will deliver.

Revelations does suffer from a middle book syndrome just a tiny bit, and I didn’t appreciate the cliffhanger in the least, but overall, it is a worthy sequel and it left me desperate for the conclusion of the series.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Review: Delia's Shadow (Delia Martin, #1)

Author: Jaime Lee Moyer
Series: Delia Martin, #1
Released: September 17th 2013
Publisher: Tor
Hardcover, 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

A dark, romantic fantasy set against the backdrop of San Francisco devastated by the Great Quake.

It is the dawn of a new century in San Francisco and Delia Martin is a wealthy young woman whose life appears ideal. But a dark secret colors her life, for Delia’s most loyal companions are ghosts, as she has been gifted (or some would say cursed) with an ability to peer across to the other side.

Since the great quake rocked her city in 1906, Delia has been haunted by an avalanche of the dead clamoring for her help. Delia flees to the other side of the continent, hoping to gain some peace. After several years in New York, Delia believes she is free…until one determined specter appears and she realizes that she must return to the City by the Bay in order to put this tortured soul to rest.

It will not be easy, as the ghost is only one of the many victims of a serial killer who was never caught. A killer who after thirty years is killing again.

And who is now aware of Delia’s existence.

Delia’s Shadow is a wonderful combination of so many genres, it would be almost impossible to find the one that’s dominant. It’s historical, set in San Francisco, nine years after the great 1906 earthquake. It involves ghosts and spiritualists, which means it has strong urban fantasy elements. It is a murder mystery too, in which a deranged serial killer decides everyone’s fates. And finally, the strong romantic elements and dual narration mark it as paranormal romance as well.

All these things combined make a fascinating book, one that will hold your attention from start to finish. It is beautifully written, although the dialogues are occasionally just a tiny bit stilted, and the characters are perfectly developed. In addition, the story is excellently paced, with not a single dull moment to burden the narrative. Although this is Jamie Lee Moyer’s debut novel, she already writes with an impressive level of maturity and self-assuredness.

The story is told from two perspectives: Delia’s, in first person, and Gabe’s in third. Oddly enough, I found myself enjoying Gabe’s POV far more, probably because he showed more emotional complexity, and because his parts of the story were more eventful due to the murder investigation he was running. Delia, for her part, brought a certain calmness and unflinching honesty one can’t help but admire. As a heroine, she is easily likeable and dependable, but still somewhat of an enigma, someone I can see myself wanting to get to know better in later installments.

The secondary characters don’t fall far behind. Each of them equally fascinating and well thought through. Sadie and Jack make a wonderful couple, with Sadie especially interesting and quirky. I hope there will one day be a short story with them at its center. Officer Henderson is also someone I’d very much like to get to know better, as is Annie, Sadie and Delia’s maid and confidante.

The ghosts in the story were perhaps not as scary as they could have been, but that was not their purpose at all. They were a constant presence in Delia’s life, there with a purpose – to help catch the man who killed them all, a serial killer active for over 30 years. Moyer is excellent at building nail-biting tension, and her killer does not disappoint; he is intelligent, vicious, and completely sociopathic.

Two more books about Delia Martin were announced. They’re titled A BARRICADE IN HELL and AGAINST A BRIGHTENING SKY and scheduled to be published in 2014 and 2015, respectively. I’m very much looking forward to both.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Review: Mist (Mist, #1)

Author: Susan Krinard
Series: Mist, #1
Release date: July 16th 2013
Publisher: Tor Books
Paperback, 384 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

New York Times bestselling author Susan Krinard launches her first urban fantasy series

Centuries ago, all was lost in the Last Battle when the Norse gods and goddesses went to war. The elves, the giants, and the gods and goddesses themselves were all destroyed, leaving the Valkyrie Mist one of the only survivors.

Or so she thought.

When a snowy winter descends upon modern-day San Francisco in June, Mist’s quiet existence starts to feel all too familiar. In quick succession, Mist is attacked by a frost giant in a public park and runs into an elf disguised as a homeless person on the streets…and then the man Mist believed was her mortal boyfriend reveals himself to be the trickster god, Loki, alive and well after all these years.

Loki has big plans for the modern world, and he’s been hanging around Mist for access to a staff that once belonged to the great god Odin. Mist is certain of one thing: Loki must be stopped if there is to be any hope for Earth. But the fight is even bigger than she knows….

Because Loki wasn’t the only god to survive.

If you’re a woman with even the slightest knowledge on Norse mythology, I bet you spent some time fantasizing about being a Valkyrie. (If you’re a man… well, let’s not go there.) After all, they are gorgeous, they are practically invincible, either noble or descendents of gods and the things they can do with a sword would make any person drop their jaw in admiration. And there are always those outfits to consider – I for one would kill to wear them just once.

I am fairly new to Norse mythology and it’s still a source of constant (and pleasant) surprises. What I knew before reading Mist came from another urban fantasy series (thank you, Kevin Hearne!), but even if I knew nothing, I’d be fairly well versed after this reading experience. Despite it being set in modern day San Francisco, all the characters in Mist come straight from Norse mythology.

For decades, Valkyrie Mist has been living in Midgard among the mortals (that would be us, my friends), convinced that her gods have perished during Ragnarok. She is the faithful guardian of Odin’s spear, even though she believes there’s no one left to guard it for, and her sisters guard other immortal Treasures all over the world.

When her live-in boyfriend Eric turns out to be none other than the trickster god Loki in his mortal disguise, Mist is furious with herself for several reasons. First, for allowing him to get close to the spear, which he ended up stealing while she was busy fighting a frost giant. Second, for being too quick to believe that her gods really are gone forever. And third, for not being aware of her true heritage in time to stop it all from happening.

What this book needed to become infinitely better was just a touch of humor. Mist was so serious all the time, and so was her companion Dainn, which means that both POVs ended up being a bit tough to swallow. Even Loki, the trickster, had no trace of humor in his actions and/or dialogue – just brutality and venom. Consequently, the prose was pretty dry, which, combined with the sheer amount of information offered, made for a very demanding read. Humor so often makes or breaks urban fantasy, and in this case, it could have worked to Krinard’s advantage.

I am quite unused to dual POV in urban fantasy, especially when it takes over a hundred pages for the second one to enter the picture. Dainn’s conflicts were interesting to witness through his eyes, but I still felt that the author took the easy way out.

If there is such a thing as high urban fantasy (which apparently there is), Mist is a very fine example of it. It is a weighty read that offers an abundance of action and information without a single thing to lighten it up. Still, true fans of urban fantasy shouldn’t miss it, and since I count myself among them, I’m glad I made the decision to read it.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.

Review: Solstice

Author: P.J. Hoover
Release date: June 18th 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Hardcover, 384 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Piper's world is dying.

Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.

Well this was a rather pleasant surprise! In Solstice, P. J. Hoover fascinatingly combines Greek mythology with a natural disaster/dystopian scenario. Her idea is breathtakingly original and her execution, for the most part, superb. There were times when the transitions between the two worlds weren’t as smooth as they should have been and they required a bit more patience and good will, but overall, worldbuilding is Solstice’s strongest quality by far.

On the outside, Paige’s world is in ruins. The global warming has reached alarming levels and the world is in the middle of Global Heating Crisis. Nothing functions as it used to and protecting people from the sun is everyone’s biggest concern. Heat bubbles regularly form over cities and cause people to suffocate.

But Paige isn’t just a girl in the middle of a natural disaster. Her ties to Greek gods and the Underworld are strong, even though she doesn’t realize it. It isn’t until she finds out the truth that the story really picks up. She then takes us bravely into the Underworld, across the river with Charon and straight into Hell in Hades’ arms.

Once we arrive in Hell and Elysian Fields, we are overwhelmed by vivid imagery P.J. Hoover provides. She has a great talent for succinct but effective descriptions that have a certain cinematic value. Paige’s first arrival to the Underworld was by far my favorite part of the book.

At first, Paige seemed far too bland for me to really like her, but as she discovered the truth about herself and the people around her, she became stronger and her personality really shone through, which made it possible for me to like her. I did struggle a bit with how she reacted to Greek gods showing up around her. She just took everything in stride, believed what she was told without a hint of disbelief. Hades and Ares, Charon and Cerberus, she accepted them all in a heartbeat, never doubting that they were real.

I also honestly think Solstice would have been a much better book without the love triangle, but for those of you who despise them as much as I do, I should point out that this one wasn’t as bad as most. Things were pretty clear from the start, and the third person was more of a nuisance than an actual threat.

Refreshingly enough, Solstice is a standalone, and it has one of the most satisfying endings I’ve come across in a very long time. After a lovely epilogue, we even get a bonus chapter that will leave an even bigger smile on your faces. I love it when authors do this since there are very few things I love more than basking in the happy endings of characters I’ve grown to love.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinion expressed in this review.