Showing posts with label ya urban fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ya urban fantasy. Show all posts

Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1) Review

Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1)
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Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1) ReviewThis book introduces a rather different city of Avalon, one that is midway between the world of faerie and that of man, that you can actually find on a map and travel by airplane almost to its gates, where both some magics and some tech can work, and is the only portal for trade between the two worlds.
But the story is not about Avalon itself, but rather a 16 year old, Dana, with a great voice, an alcoholic mother, and a very absent father, about whom Dana knows almost nothing except that he's some high mucky-muck in the Avalon world of politics, and whom her mother fled from for reasons that seem to change every time Dana asks about him. Finally getting thoroughly fed up with trying to handle the embarrassments and messes her mother keeps making for her, Dana decides to go to Avalon to find her father, figuring it couldn't be any worse than the life she's currently leading.
What she finds in Avalon is not quite what she expected, as she finds herself immediately involved in the political shenanigans of the Avalon ruling council, with sub-texts of fomented discord by the battle for supremacy between the ruling factions of Faerie. Here she finds the beginnings of romance right alongside distrust of her own ability to properly evaluate other people's character, and where everyone seems to be out to use her for their own ends.
Dana is a likeable and quite believable teen throughout this work, hardworking, independent, and with a solid moral compass. Her mental state mirrors that of many teens who feel alienated and put upon by the vagaries of life, who just know that 'things will be better' somewhere else, or with different parents, and the inevitable 'knowledge' that she's already an adult - and why doesn't the world recognize that fact? Her growth through the trials of this book is nicely portrayed, and her final conclusion may surprise some readers, but actually makes good sense.
Most of the other characters of this book are not given very much development room, and quite a few of them come across as near-stereotypes. The descriptive work on the city of Avalon is quite sparse, making it difficult for me to really 'see' it as a real city. The plot developments come thick and fast, but I did feel that some information was inappropriately withheld from the reader for too long just to heighten suspense and keep confusion reigning supreme. There are many threads and world-building snippets that are introduced but not given any resolution here, which I suppose will be the subject of further books in this series. But as it is, the ending feels like something of an anti-climax, both happening too fast and only resolving a small portion of the entire story arc.
This is a world that shows much promise. If further books can flesh out what has been started here at the same level of immediacy and relevance that this book displays, then this will be a very good series, good reading both for teens and adults.
---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1) Overview

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My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1) Review

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1)
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My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1) ReviewNearly passed over this unique piece of paranormal fiction- incredibly glad I decided to order! (The description on the rear cover of My Soul to Take is a weak one.) Finished in just two sittings (would have been one if "real life" hadn't gotten in the way!), and already looking for the sequel. Better than I anticipated, easy to read, and twists I did not see coming. I have to admit, what was, I presume, supposed to have been the climactic revelation, I figured out halfway through; however, there were so many other things going on & so many directions they could take, I didn't mind knowing that one bit of information.
Kaylee Cavanaugh sneaks into a club with her best friend Emma. Comfortable with living in Emma's shadow, Kaylee is surprised, yet delighted, when sports hottie Nash Hudson takes notice of her & asks her to dance. Her delight is short-lived, however, when Kaylee recognizes the beginnings of another of her "panic attacks." In the midst of the crowded club, Kaylee's vision hones in on a beautiful young girl Kaylee has never even seen before- yet knows beyond a shadow of a doubt the young girl will die. Her "attack" is intensified by not only fighting the overwhelming urge to scream, but also the fear of "losing it" in front of Nash. With Emma & Nash's help, Kaylee is able to exit the club & calm down without giving in to the horrible urge. Having never even mentioned her "gift" to Emma, Kaylee suddenly feels compelled to tell Nash her secret. When he doesn't go running for the hills, Kaylee begins to feel she can indeed trust him, and agrees to meet him for lunch the following day.
Kaylee has never had confirmation of one of her "premonitions" before, so she is somewhat shocked to see the young girl's face on the news the next morning; she had been found dead in the bathroom of the club. With Emma being grounded, Kaylee has only one other person to turn to- Nash. She & Nash quickly begin to form a bond of trust- and undeniable attraction. Suddenly, two more teenage girls die, with seemingly no cause. Kaylee & Nash know the deaths are connected, but how? And why is Nash, who in the beginning urged Kaylee to tell someone about her "gift", now begging her not to mention it to anyone? Why does he seem to know more than he is letting on- about the deaths & about Kaylee- not only who she is, but also *what* she is? And can Kaylee make the connection & unravel all the secrets before it's too late?
Rachel Vincent has a wonderful way of allowing Kaylee to tell her tale with all of the excitement (& fear) a normal teenager would have under these not-so-normal circumstances- yet, thankfully, without all of the mellow-drama often accompanying such characters as of late. Highly recommend!My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers Book 1) Overview

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Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy) Review

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy)
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Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy) ReviewGwen Frost is being forced to attend Mythos Academy, an elite school set apart to train kids who just so happen to be descendants of various mythical warriors. Of course, Gwen doesn't believe in any of the supernatural skills her classmates supposedly possess. The only type of magic she actually accepts is her own and that of her own family. When the school's most popular girl, the icy Valkyrie princess Jasmine, is murdered right in the library next to a stolen mythical artifact called the Bowl of Tears, Gwen is determined to get to the bottom of the entire situation. It's never a good idea to poke your head into other people's business, though. So the results? Who else is to blame but yourself?
"Touch of Frost" belongs to the new batch of paranormal stories that all seem exactly the same, only with different character names and fantastical elements. This novel's back story is a mishmash of tons of various warriors -- from Norse gods to ninjas. While that is certainly a nice idea, it's never really delved into. Except for a few key warrior gods, all the others felt extraneous and were barely mentioned at all.
The characters aren't especially mind-blowing, either. You have the blonde mean girl clique, the quirky and unpopular heroine, and the hot bad boy who falls in love with the heroine anyways; just the same formula used over and over and over again. The character with an actual personality was Vic, the ancient magical sword, who has a grand total of about five lines in the entire novel. That is just sad. A sword beats out all those other full-fledged human characters? Sad, sad, sad.
"Touch of Frost" is quite a cliché, but lovers of stereotypical teen paranormal stories (I know there are a lot of you out there) will devour it with glee.Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy) Overview

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