Liviania’s review of The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
Fantasy fiction released by DAW 6 Jan 09

I am a fairytale kind of girl, which I’ve mentioned on my own blog.  I grew up reading fairytales and now I love finding modern rewrites.  Jim C. Hines takes it from the end of Cinderella, in a world where the stepsisters have not taken their defeat lying down.  Cinderella teams up with Sleeping Beauty and Snow White to rescue her prince from their clutches.  Hines manages to spin a new and interesting tale while retaining the classic fairytale format.

To be honest, I kept thinking of this book in my Folklore class instead of keeping my mind on the first phase of the Tuscan veglia.  The first part of a fairytale is separation.  In this case, the heroine Danielle (Cinderella) is already feeling uncomfortable in her new life.  But when her stepsister kidnaps Armand she must leave it to find him.  Despite the fact she lives in a society with magic, she’s stunned to find a new dimension to her reality – Sleeping Beauty (Talia) and Snow White exist, even though the tales get some things wrong.  (Hines harkens back to the darker versions of the stories.  For example, the Queen is Snow’s mother, not her stepmother.)

Next comes the liminality, where the heroine faces crises.  To rescue Armand the three princesses will have to enter Fairytown and face powerful magic indeed.  Danielle’s stepsisters gained themselves powerful help.  Danielle might have achieved marriage, but she still needs to mature into her new position.  She tends to think like a servant (thinking of how to clean things) instead of like the future queen.  It’s good that Talia and Snow are there to help her learn, because both are confident in their skills.

Finally comes the reincorporation, when the heroine returns to society, but with a different status.  Also known as Happily Ever After.  (Or maybe not, since more books are coming starring the three princesses.)  Unlike fairytales, The Stepsister Scheme might not be all ages appropriate.  There’s quite a bit of sensuality, especially on the part of Snow (or Danielle and Armand when they’re together).  There’s also a brief hint of lesbianism.  Nothing I think anyone should worry about, but just a warning to those who care for some reason.  I think the brief mention of sexual abuse might be more upsetting.

Hines definitely manages to create three strong females.  To me, Snow’s flaws have yet to really play a part but both Talia and Danielle show vulnerabilities that they’re working to overcome.  They aren’t unstoppable forces of nature but three girls learning how to put their gifts to the best possible use.  I liked Talia, the Middle Eastern warrior, and Snow, the witch, as much as Danielle and hope they get their happily ever afters in the future books in the series.

I do wish we could see more of Armand’s personality.  He seems to care about Danielle, but he’s absent for most of the novel.  I suppose it is par for the course for the prince to not be well-developed in fairytales.  Maybe he’ll get his chance to shine in future books too.

Hines plays very well with the fairytale form in his continuation of Cinderella.  There’s humor and action in this fast-paced novel.  There are some heavy points but not enough to make The Stepsister Scheme dark.  Actually, it’s amazing how much heavy subject matter fits into such a light, quick read.

Grade: B+

Summary:
What would happen if an author went back to the darker themes of the original fairy tales for his plots, and then crossed the Disney princesses with Charlie’s Angels? What’s delivered is The Stepsister Scheme—a whole new take on what happened to Cinderella and her prince after the wedding. And with Jim C. Hines penning the tale readers can bet it won’t be “and they lived happily ever after.”

Read an excerpt here.

Gwen’s review of Swallowing Darkness (Meredith Gentry, Book 7) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Fantasy fiction released by Ballantine Books 4 Nov 08

The Meredith Gentry novels resonate with me on several levels: they’re fantasy novels, they have lots of action and suspense , they’ve got some good sex (sometimes a LOT of good sex), and they’re almost always interesting stories.  That’s not t say that some aren’t stronger entries than others, but they’re all interesting on some level.  This was one of the more interesting ones, if not necessarily the best.  Read on to find out why I think so… 

To begin with, I’m writing this review to those of you already following this series and who are already familiar with the characters.  If you are not and don’t know them, this AIN’T the book (or review) for you. The Meredith “Merry” Gentry world is a twisted, convoluted one full of frenemies, factions, and subplots that would be nearly impossible to unravel if you jump in to the middle of the series.  I don’t recommend doing that and I don’t recommend this book as your first foray.  Start at the beginning and be glad you heeded my advice.

This entry in the series opens with Merry acknowledging she’s pregnant with twins and the babies have three daddies EACH.  Based on what Queen Andais has promised Merry and her guards, anyone who got Merry preggers gets to be King.  Hence the reason for all the boinking in previous books.  This means that Merry’s Queen will have six Kings.  You can imagine the consternation this causes in almost all of the Courts of Faerie, including the Light, Dark, etc.  Some Courts are more accepting than others (Sluaugh) and some are downright pathologically incapable of acknowledging that they had no say-so in the whole process.

This leads to a LOT of assassination and kidnapping attempts, causing the “deaths” of various members of Merry’s entourage and other supernatural occurrences. And very little boinking.  I KNOW!  GASP! An LKH novel with only one or two sexed up situations!

As a fan of the series, I enjoyed this entry as being one of the more “story-like” entries.  I think Merry comes into her own in this entry and starts acting more royal and less “scared little girl” than in the other books.  I think her character can see the finish line to her travails on the horizon.  By the end of the book, Merry thinks she’s living her HEA, but we know better.  There’s still at least two more Merry books on the horizon and she hasn’t had her babies yet.  I have a feeling that these babies will be forces to contend with on their own and that we’re in for a very interesting ending to this series.

I can recommend this book to any fan of the series and fan of LKH.  If you’re new to the series, and like fantasy with some edge, don’t start here but do start.  You’ll like it (some more than others).

Grade: A

For more reviews and information, follow the Meredith Gentry series tag.

Summary:

I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child – twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle, Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children.

Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court – and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen.

But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me.

I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price – for I am truly my father’s daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything-even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (links are to mass market paperbacks, where available):

Shannon C.’s review of Monstrous Regiment (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett
Fantasy fiction released by Harper Torch 31 Aug 04

I’ve been resisting reading any of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett for a long time. Fellow fantasy readers keep assuring me they are wonderful, but the first couple I tried did not work so well for me. Then, I pulled out Monstrous Regiment from the TBR because the thought of an army squad composed of women disguised as men appealed to one of my huge and not so secret loves. And I think, after reading this book, that I’ve definitely got to read more Discworld books. 

Our heroine is Polly Perks, from the country of Borogravia. Borogravia isn’t exactly the best place to live at the moment because it’s perpetually at war with everyone.  Its monarch, the Duchess, is most likely dead, and the citizens worship a god named Nuggan who keeps handing down abominations, like crossword puzzles and the color blue.

Polly, whose brother joined the army, decides she needs to enter all of this chaos by following in his wake, disguised as a boy, and retrieve him, so she can run her parents’ thriving inn. Women owning property is an abomination unto Nuggan, and Paul is himself pretty simple-minded, so Polly figures she can just leave him in peace with his art and go about her business. Anyway, upon joining a local recruitment party disguised as a boy, she begins to learn that a lot of Borogravian women have had similar ideas. Hilarity, of course, ensues, but so does some extremely good satire.

I liked Polly. She was quick and clever and competent, and I really enjoyed reading the sections of the book where she was featured. Her squadmates are also a lot of fun, from the loud, brusque Sergeant Jackrum to Lieutenant Blouse, their superior officer, whose greatest dream in life is to one day get an article of clothing named after him. (He does. It’s a type of fingerless glove. What else would you be thinking?) There’s even a vampire who is addicted to coffee instead of blood, and a troll, and a religious fanatic bent on saving Borogravia, and all of them are rendered likeable in their own way. We also get a few chapters with Sam Vimes, head of the notorious Ankh-Morpork city watch, and I can’t wait to read more about his adventures in other books.

The book moves along briskly. I was reading it at every spare moment I could find, and laughing my head off more than once. I really like Pratchett’s dry, distinctly British, sense of humor, and I further liked his satire of patriotism and how we view men and women in society today. His passages about the effects of war are also more than a little heartbreaking.

This wasn’t the first Discworld book I’ve read, but it stands perfectly fine on its own. Fans of humorous fantasy and well-written satire should definitely give this one a try. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Mr. Pratchett.

Grade: A-

Summary:
War has come to Discworld … again.And, to no one’s great surprise, the conflict centers around the small, arrogantly fundamentalist duchy of Borogravia, which has long prided itself on its unrelenting aggressiveness. A year ago, Polly Perks’s brother marched off to battle, and Polly’s willing to resort to drastic measures to find him. So she cuts off her hair, dons masculine garb, and–aided by a well-placed pair of socks–sets out to join this man’s army. Since a nation in such dire need of cannon fodder can’t afford to be too picky, Polly is eagerly welcomed into the fighting fold… along with a vampire, a troll, an Igor, a religious fanatic, and two uncommonly close “friends.” It would appear that Polly “Ozzer” Perks isn’t the only grunt with a secret. But duty calls, the battlefield beckons. And now is the time for all good … er … “men” to come to the aid of their country.

Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of Red Seas Under Red Skies (Gentleman Bastards, Book 2) by Scott Lynch
Fantasy released by Bantam Spectra 29 July 08

I picked up The Lies of Locke Lamora on a whim, shortly before I left for college last year. It had an alliterative title, shiny pink cover, and the back promised thieves. (Note: No wonder my book shopping habits are bad for my wallet. That’s not strenuous criteria.) The story within was fast-paced, intelligent, and funny, so I eagerly picked up the sequel once it was available in paperback. I only decided to write a review once I saw Shannon C. had reviewed the first.

Locke makes a fabulous main character. He’s got a smart mouth, arrogance, audacity, and a brain that allows him to somehow survive. He’s also got Jean Tannen, a fellow thief and fierce fighter to guard his back. Both were members of the Gentlemen Bastards in Camorr, but now they’re in Tal Verrar and planning a heist at Requin’s Sinspire (think mob-controlled Vegas, in medieval times – yes, it is that awesome.) Unfortunately, one of Requin’s political rivals, the Archon, the military leader, interferes. He wants Locke and Jean to help gain the upper hand on the Priori (like the Senate) by causing a war.  This is where the pirates come in.

This book contains the same wit as the first, though you might not want to repeat some of the lines that are making you laugh to curious onlookers.  Lynch is rather fond of “fuck” and the forms thereof.  On the other hand, Red Seas Under Red Skies showcases Locke and Jean in a very different situation from The Lies of Locke Lamora.  This time they aren’t two steps ahead of all the other plotters; in fact, they’re often two steps behind.  They’re coming up with solutions on the fly to keep their lives and make the score.  I enjoyed getting to see this side of the characters.

There’s also a touch of romance in this one.  I don’t want to say too much about her, but Jean enters a relationship about halfway (or two-thirds of the way) through the book.  The characters have great chemistry and it’s balanced well with Jean’s relationship with Locke. There’s also some great humor with the poor unfortunates who have to room next to the lovebirds.  In other news on the romance front, the end promises that Sabetha will finally appear in the third book.  We’ve been tantalized with hints about Locke’s former comrade and only love for two books, so I cannot wait to see her.

Of course, that’s not my only reason to say I’ll return for the third book.  So far the Gentlemen Bastards is a fast-paced, well-plotted, humorous fantasy.  The books have contained satisfying capers within and intriguing overarching plots involving the Bondsmagi and Sabetha.  The only downside is I have to wait for the third.  How it’s going to top the awesome pirate crew, I don’t know.

Grade: A-

Read more reviews of the Gentlemen Bastards series by following its tag.

Summary:

Locke Lamora, the erstwhile Thorn of Camorr, and Jean Tannen have fled their home city and the wreckage of their lives. But they can’t run forever, and after escaping Camorr they decide to head for the richest and most difficult target on the horizon– the city-state of Tal Verrar. And the Sinspire.

The Sinspire is the ultimate gambling house . . . exclusive, luxurious, and fiendishly guarded. No thief has ever survived an attempt to rob it. Naturally, Locke plans to take it for a fortune, in his biggest gamble yet.

But this perfect crime may have to wait.

Someone else in Tal Verrar wants the Gentlemen Bastards’ expertise, and they’re not gentle in compelling Locke and Jean to devote their talents to an even more unlikely and suicidal proposition– masquerading as pirates on the high seas. Fine work for a pair of landlubbing thieves barely able to tell one end of a ship from the other!

Locke and Jean find their abiding friendship tested to its very limits in this strange new world of lurching wooden decks, brutal ship-to-ship action, and feuding pirate captains. But not even their sojourn as buccaneers can keep the Gentlemen Bastards from their much-desired reckoning with all the powers that have conspired to interrupt their lives, including the last people in the world any sane person would want to offend… the Bondsmagi of Karthain.

Read an excerpt (click on the widget and keep paging down – you eventually make it to the excerpt).

Shannon C.’s review of The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards, Book 1) by Scott Lynch
Fantasy fiction released by Spectra 26 Jun 07

I’ve been in a fantasy mood lately, and so have unearthed a few fantasy books from my ginormous TBR to assuage this mood. One of these was Scott Lynch’s debut, The Lies of Locke Lamora. This was a pleasant surprise, and well worth all the hype it generated when it was first published. The book’s charming titular character, the author’s snarky sense of humor, and the dark setting combined into a book I didn’t want to put down.

Locke Lamora is a thief. Not just any thief, but a member (and leader) of the notorious Gentlemen Bastards, thieves who consider it their duty to break the Secret Peace between the crime lords of the city of Camorr and the nobility. We meet Locke as he begins a con of the Don and Dona Salvara, two members of the nobility. But other things are afoot as a man known only as the Grey King attempts to depose the Cappa of Camorr, bringing a reluctant Locke and his equally reluctant friends into his plans, which could have disastrous consequences. We also get interludes describing Locke’s early life and training, which provide tantalizing hints about the fact that there’s obviously more to reveal in Locke’s backstory.

So, as I said, Locke made this book for me. He is definitely a rogue, and despite the fact that I’m not sure I’d want to be alone in a dark alley with him, I adored him. He’s charming, mischievous, and doesn’t spend too much time angsting, and he is saved from becoming a total moral reprobate by the fact that it’s obvious there are things he won’t do and people he won’t screw over. He made being a Gentleman Bastard seem kind of glamorous there for a while, and I was cheering him on .

The other characters are also well-drawn. I particularly liked Locke’s friend Jean, who complements Locke perfectly, and who I can’t help wanting to ship with Locke. (But then, I also kind of ship Sam/Frodo, too, so you might want to take that with a grain of salt.) Besides Jean, the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards are fun, if a bit one-note, with the exception of Father Chains, Locke’s mentor, and Sabetha, the only female member of their gang, who we do not meet in this novel.

The plot is riveting, and the tension ratchets up to a brilliant and satisfying climax. As with all good dark fantasy, not everybody survives, but at least this book actually has a complete ending that ties up most of the loose ends while leaving enough questions to be answered that I want to see where else Mr. Lynch takes the story.

If I have any quibbles, it’s that I would have liked for a bit more from the secondary characters, and I did think Locke and Jean weren’t as proactive as they could have been, but I also think some of that will change as the series progresses.

If you like dark, snarky fantasy, and you don’t mind a bit of a doorstopper, this is certainly a book to try.

Grade: A-

Summary:

“Why, I can smile, and murder whiles I smile,
And cry ‘Content’ to that which grieves my heart,
And wet my cheeks with artificial tears,
And frame my face to all occasions.”
–William Shakespeare, Richard II, iii, ii

The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a ghost that walks through walls. Half the city believes him to be a legendary champion of the poor. The other half believe him to be a foolish myth. Nobody has it quite right.

Slightly built, unlucky in love, and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. He certainly didn’t invite the rumors that swirl around his exploits, which are actually confidence games of the most intricate sort. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else, pray tell, would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny of it. All of Locke’s gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards.

Locke and company are con artists in an age where con artistry, as we understand it, is a new and unknown style of crime. The less attention anyone pays to them, the better! But a deadly mystery has begun to haunt the ancient city of Camorr, and a clandestine war is threatening to tear the city’s underworld, the only home the Gentlemen Bastards have ever known, to bloody shreds. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends will find both their loyalty and their ingenuity tested to the breaking point as they struggle to stay alive…

Download the prologue excerpt and mapshere and read an excerpt of the first chapter here.

Shannon C.’s review of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Fantasy humor fiction released by Ace 1 May 96, re-released by Harper in trade ppb 7 Aug 07

An embarrassing number of people have told me that I need to read both Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I had read neither until I picked up Good Omens on a whim and consequently realized that I’d put off a very real treat.

The plot of this novel is convoluted, and I’m not sure I could do it justice. But basically it’s about Armageddon, and about an angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley, both of whom kind of… like Earth. It’s also about a mix-up involving the Antichrist being switched with another baby and growing up in lower Tadfield in England without anyone noticing, and about the ranks of the Witchfinder Army, and the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter.

This book, obviously, doesn’t take itself terribly seriously, and is written in a droll, quintessentially British, style that I love. In fact, I’m pretty sure that the only way that I’d have enjoyed this book more would have been to actually *be* British, which, sadly, I’m not.

I suspect some may find the fact that Pratchett and Gaiman poke fun at all sorts of religions a bit offensive. Personally, I ended up smiling and nodding and laughing out loud in places. Which is the whole point, as I don’t think this book is meant to be especially deep. I found that I agreed with most of the observations the authors made about people, and I found the story itself to be a great fun-filled romp. I don’t think I’ll be rereading it, but I do think people who enjoy funny books, satire, and even tales of the apocalypse, should give this one a go. Plus, after you read the book, you can check out the line of Good Omens-inspired fragrances from one of my favorite eTailers.

Grade: B+

Summary:

According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter – the world’s only totally reliable guide to the future, the world will end on a Saturday.

Next Saturday, in fact.

Just before dinner.

Which means that Armageddon will happen on Saturday night. There will be seas on fire, rains of fish, the moon turning to blood and the massed armies of Heaven and Hell will sort it out once and for all.

Which is a major problem for Crowley, Hell’s most approachable demon and former serpent, and his opposite number and old friend Aziraphale, genuine angel and London bookshop owner. They like it down here (or in Crowley’s case, up here).

So they’ve got no alternative but to stop the Four Motorcyclists of the Apocalypse, defeat the marching ranks of the Witchfinder army* and – somehow – stop it all from happening.

Above all (or, in Aziraphale’s case, below all) they need to find and kill the Antichrist, currently the most powerful creature on Earth.

This is a shame.

Because he’s eleven years old, loves his dog even though it’s really a Satanic hellhound under all that hair, really cares about the environment and is the sort of boy anyone would be proud to have as a son. He’s also totally invulnerable, and a nice kid.

And if that isn’t enough, they’ve still got Sunday to deal with…

*All two of them.

Go here for a nice long excerpt.

If you click on the link to the fragrance site, she has a few small bits of the book quoted throughout.

Lawson’s review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling
YA fantasy fiction hardcover released by Arthur A. Levine Books 21 Jul 07

Alright, I know, I KNOW, this is a romance blog and here I am talking about Harry Potter. What could I be thinking? I felt this book deserves to be discussed however. And really, unless you’ve been in a hole, hiding away for the last 10 years and have only just now gotten internet access and thus never heard of Harry Potter, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with blogging about the Boy Who Lived. Especially since Meljean Brook referenced Harry Potter (or rather He Who Shall Not Be Named) in Demon Angel. 

Just for posterity’s sake here’s the basic history of the series so far: Harry Potter is a legend in the wizarding world for being the only person to survive the killing curse. He was one year old when Voldemort attempted to kill him, but it backfired and Voldemort spent the next 10 years trying to come back so he could have world domination. Book 1 is Harry’s first year at Hogwart’s, a boarding school for witches and wizards. The next six follow his adventures, coming of age, and battles with Voldemort who goes from a spirit and less of a man to a restrengthened evil wizard bent, again, on world domination as soon as he can kill Harry Potter, ’cause it’s making him look really bad and he doesn’t like to be thwarted.

Like the other six, Harry starts off the book at the Dursley’s, his aunt and uncle, house in London during the summer vacation. He’s about to turn seventeen, the legal age for wizards, and he’s being moved to a safe house so that he can be protected from Voldemort. He’s being swept away by the Order of the Phoenix and of course there’s a massive plan and diversion.

Harry and six doppelgangers fly off in various directions and are set upon by Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort. There’s mass chaos, Voldemort figures out which one is the real Harry, but Harry gets away, but two of his friends die in the escape. No, I’m not telling who dies.

Harry gets to the Burrow, childhood home of his best friend Ron Weasly, where he, Ron and Hermione Granger plan to go off on one last quest given to them by their former headmaster Albus Dumbledore (he died at the end of Book Six) which could help stop Voldemort once and for all. First though, they’ve got to attend the wedding of one of Ron’s many older brothers, but in the confusion at the reception when they find out the Ministry of Magic has been compromised by Voldemort, the three friends escape and venture off to fulfill their quest.

Even though this is marketed to young adults, the series has always dealt with some very adult themes. Death is a big one, due to the deaths of Harry’s parents and Voldemorts constant fear of death. In defense of Harry there’s a lot of people that die in this one as well, and character’s acceptance of death is one thing that defines the good and the bad.

Harry’s coming of age is another theme that goes through all of the books. He goes from 10 to 17 over the course of the books and he has to deal with all the things a normal adolescent does: girls, acceptance, hormones, friendships and self discovery. There were times in the last few books where Harry got rather whiney, but that was rather absent in this one, even though he didn’t have his mentor, Dumbledore, there to help guide him.

Leadership is a big idea dealt with through many different things. Dumbledore’s leadership of Harry and Hogwarts. Harry’s leadership of his friends and those around him because of his legendary status. Voldemort’s leadership of his Death Eaters, his justice on the world and his ideas on how to deal with not only the wizards but muggles (non magical people). Even the fact that leadership is sometimes helping others do the work and you have to step up to do your part.

Rowling throughout the book references things from the series, though not huge things, but every thing seems to get tied in somehow, even if it seemed inconsequential three books ago. By the end it seems that Harry, as well as Ron and Hermione, have seen the world not as innocent children, but as people who have been through that process that everyone has to go through to get through life: adolescence.

Grade: A+

Summary:

The heart of Book 7 is a hero’s mission–not just in Harry’s quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man–and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore’s warning about making the choice between “what is right and what is easy,” and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling’s skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.

No excerpt available.

Other books in the series (mass market or trade paperback linked where available):