Review: California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout

Title:  California  Bones

Author:  Greg Van Eekhout

Series:  Book one in a trilogy

Audience:  Adult

Rating on scale 1-5: 4

TL;DR: California Bones  is a combination urban fantasy and caper novel set in dystopian California.

Longer review:
Daniel Blackland, a  thief and osteomancer, is hired by a crime lord to break into a supposedly impenetrable stronghold and steal a sword. The sword was made by Daniel’s Father, a powerful magician, and  possesses the magical essence of Daniel himself. Daniel’s Father was killed by the the Hierarch, the ruler of the Kingdom of Southern California. Daniel puts together the best thieves to steal the sword.

When I saw that it was an urban fantasy and a caper I was pretty excited. Since it is a caper book, it is fairly action packed. This book is gritty and a little gruesome (it’s not for the faint of heart).

Read-alikes:
Kraken: an anatomy by China Miéville. This urban fantasy also has group of magicians stealing an object.  (A giant squid fom the British museum.  It also described as gritty.

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. This urban fantasy is described as action packed and gruesome.  The main character gets a job hunting monsters because monsters are real.

Dresden Files series  by Jim Butcher. This action packed urban fantasy series has a Wizard private detective as its main character.

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E. Schwab

Information on series: First of Darker shade of magic trilogy, second book expected 2016.

Audience: New Adult/Adult; possibly YA though there is some language and violence, but nothing gratuitous

Rating (scale of 1 – 10, with 10 being the highest): 9.5

Recommended to: Historical fiction readers; fans of political/royal thrillers

Tl;dr:  A gritty urban fantasy set against a backdrop of parallel Londons where dark magic threatens to overtake and destroy everything, and there may be only one person who can stop it.

“Some thought magic came from the mind, others the soul, or the heart, or the will. But Kell knew it came from the blood.
     Blood was magic made manifest. There it thrived. And there it poisoned. Kell had seen what happened when power warred with the body, watched it darken in the veins of corrupted men, turning their blood from crimson to black. If red was the color of magic in balance—of harmony between power and humanity—then black was the color of magic without balance, without order, without restraint.
     As an Antari, Kell was made of both, balance and chaos; the blood in his veins, like the Isle of Red London, ran a shimmering, healthy crimson, while his right eye was the color of spilled ink, a glistening black.” 

Review:
Kell is Antari, which means he possesses special magic that allows him to pass between parallel worlds acting as courier to each of London’s different crowns. There are three Londons to which he travels: Grey, White, and Red. Grey London is the one we know with Parliament and Westminster and the Thames flowing through the city. It is a drab place with no magic, though there are those who believe it exists. White London’s river is called the Siljt and the palace is an icy fortress ruled by evil twins (literally, evil twins). In White London magic is a rare commodity, highly and viciously sought after, hoarded by those in power and taken from others at any cost. Red London has an abundance of magic and its people live in lavish luxury. It is there where Kell lives at the palace with the King, Queen and the High Prince Rhy, and is treated by others as royalty himself, though he doesn’t feel as if he truly belongs. There’s a fourth London, Black, but no one comes or goes from there anymore. When Kell journeys to White or Grey London he returns with small keepsakes and trinkets, amassing a private collection of odds and ends. Like a magpie he hoards these objects, despite Rhy’s warnings that dire consequences will come from Kell’s habit…

Lila has been surviving on her own in White London’s rough streets, stealing to stay alive and dreaming of the high seas. She wants nothing more than to be the commander of her own pirate ship, but she can barely stay afloat on land. When her path crosses Kell’s she knows there are greater adventures waiting, and she will do just about anything to be part of them.

Holland is like Kell; he can travel between the Londons and does so at the behest of White London’s rulers, Astrid and Athos Dane. Unlike Kell, Holland has little freedom even though he is Antari, and is at the mercy of the ruthless Danes who will stop at nothing to satisfy their desire for magic.

 A darker shade of magic will appeal to readers of historical fiction and political thrillers who are perhaps interested in Fantasy but aren’t quite ready to submerse themselves in a completely new world.  Though there are elements of more traditional fantasy, including a new language, the fantastical elements and the magical system are not overly complex.

 Read alikes:

• A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway, (see RART review)
• A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Grey
• Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Reviewer: Jillian Rutledge, Waverly Public Library

Review: The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Title: The Magicians

Author: Lev Grossman

Information on series:  The Magicians: Book 1

Audience: Adult

Rating (scale of 1-5, with 5 being highest): 4

TL;DR: A character driven contemporary fantasy about  a high schooler who knows some magic tricks that suddenly finds himself admitted to a mysterious school of magic.

Longer review:
Quinten Coldwater, grew up enjoying a series of books about a magical make believe land called Fillory. Fillory is very similar C.S. Lewis’ Narnia. Quintin is thrilled when he is invited to join a University for magicians. Quintin excels in school but loses his innocence when a prank allows an evil being to enter the University. Quintin and his former classmates find out that Fillory is real and their skills are put to the test when they travel there.

I listened to the book and I really liked the reader.  I loved Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia as a child so I loved the fact that Quintin could actually visit Fillory.

Readalikes:
The Wicked Years series by Gregory Maguire. This series is also a character driven fantasy that re-imagines a fictional world.

The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss. Although Rothfuss’ books take place in a different time, late medieval Europe, the main characters go to wizarding/magician school and along the way lose their innocence when they discover evil.

Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks. Both books deal with magic but they also both deal with the age-old theme, good vs evil.

Review: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Information on series: First of five books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
Audience: Middle grade, though with plenty of appeal for readers of any age who love a good adventure story
Rating (scale of 1-5, with 5 being highest): 4
TL;DR: An action-packed quest story whose young hero was written off as a bad kid, but really he has supernatural abilities straight out of Greek myth.

Longer review:
On a recent road trip, we started and abandoned several audiobooks, nothing quite working for both of us. That is until we started The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (as read by Jesse Bernstein). In fact, we loved it so much that when we got home before finishing the last disc, we moved from the car straight to the couch. Neither of us had been terribly excited to listen to this book, I'd started and abandoned the print edition, he'd seen the underwhelming movie adaptation, but in the end it was a highlight of our very long drive. We were looking for a book that combined adventure and humor, and that is exactly what we got.

The Percy Jackson series is based on the idea that the Greek gods of ancient myth are not only reality, they are active forces in the modern world, who still have the bad habit of having half-god children with mortal men and women. Percy Jackson (spoilers) discovers that he is the son of an unknown god, which gives him unusual powers and mark him out as a target for evil forces. That some of his special abilities (a natural aptitude for ancient Greek, hyperaccelerated reflexes) manifest as learning disorders (dyslexia, ADHD) that mark him out as a "bad kid" in the mundane world is an inspiring touch. While your average reader isn't likely to be a demigod, the message that sometimes our strengths lie in what makes us different, even if that means we can never be normal.

While I know this book, series, and author has a very large fan base, I never would've considered suggesting this series to adults before checking out the audiobook myself. That's the magic of a skilled audiobook narrator, they can take a good book and turn it into something even better.

Read alikes:
Rick Riordan: The obvious read alike, he expands on Percy Jackson's world in the Heroes of Olympus series, explores Egyptian mythology, and his newest series, Magnus Chase, which takes on norse mythology.

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins: Before she wrote The Hunger Games, Collins wrote a series about a young boy's adventures in a secret kingdom under the streets of New York City (warning: there are rats, cockroaches, and other creepy crawlies).

Hounded by Kevin Hearne: Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles are NOT for children or young readers. This is a decidely adult urban fantasy series set in an Arizona overrun by the gods of Celtic mythology.

~Sarah, Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Review: The Rook by Daniel O'Malley

Title: The Rook

Author: Daniel O’Malley

Information on series: First in a series (book two will be released January 2016)

Audience: Adult

Rating (scale of 1-10): 8

TL;DR: Endlessly entertaining and engrossing, The Rook has a great set-up that the rest of the book almost entirely lives up to.

Longer review:  She gains consciousness in a park, shivering in the rain, bloodied and bruised, surrounded by a ring of lifeless bodies, and with no knowledge of who she is.  In her pocket is a letter with only a large number one written on the outside.  “Dear you,” the letter says, “the body you are wearing used to be mine, … and along with this body you have inherited certain problems and responsibilities.”  

She, it turns out, is Myfanwy Thomas, a member of the Checquy, the secret organization that keeps Britain safe from the supernatural, the paranormal and the just plain weird.  In her position as a Rook, a high-ranking member of the Checquy leadership, Myfanwy discovered a traitor in the ranks but was unable to expose them before being attacked and having her memory obliterated.  Thankfully she’s the sort of person to think ahead, hence the letter in her pocket - and that’s not the only one.  Further letters direct the new Myfanwy to a safehouse and provide information about the Checquy and her own past. If she wants to survive the traitor's next attempt on her life, Myfanwy will have to go into work as if nothing happened, and find a way to expose them.

But when you work for the Checquy, even a normal day means fighting all sorts of weirdness: like a cult that unleashes a man-eating fungus, or a hatching dragon egg.  Few of the crises she faces, however, are more terrifying than her co-workers. There's the vampire, the guy who can excrete nerve gas, the one being that inhabits four separate human bodies, and even Myfanwy herself, who finds that in times of great stress she can disrupt the bodily functions of other people - make them go blind, or stop moving, or even stop their hearts beating.

Normally, amnesia as a plot device leaves me cold, but the letters that Myfanwy reads from her past self provide a great way for the author to outline the Checquy’s history, and provide details about how his world works.  Myfanwy goes into each new situation with just as much ignorance as the reader does, so even though the world of The Rook feels complex and deep, you get to experience it for the first time right along with the main character.

The tone of the novel is rather light and fun; if this were a Bond movie, it would be from the Roger Moore years and have lots of bad puns and innuendo.  The dialog is snappy, sometimes a little too unrealistically crisp, and Myfanwy is thrown from crisis to crisis fast enough that she doesn’t do much in the way of seriously connecting with other characters.  Hopefully the second book will see Myfanwy build some relationships and experience some development to go along with battling whatever new supernatural horror may threaten the British Isles.

Read Alikes:

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett:  Con-man Moist von Lipwig is saved from deserved execution for his crimes and is subjected to a punishment that amounts to a fate worse than death - he’s put in charge of the decrepit post office system.  This is the first of Pratchett’s Discworld novels featuring Moist who, like Myfanwy, is thrust into an inscrutable government institution and just has to learn as he goes along.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: Thursday Next is an officer in the government department of Literary Detection, where she chases forgers and plagiarists.  But one conniving baddie is bent on messing around with classic novel Jane Eyre, by kidnapping characters out of the original manuscript.  To preserve England’s literary heritage, Thursday must jump into the pages of classic literature where, it turns out, she finds a shadowy agency which polices books from the inside.

Reviewed by Seth, Ames Public Library

Review: Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe

Title: Long Black Curl
Author: Alex Bledsoe
Information on series: Third book in series, after “The Hum and the Shiver” and “Wisp of a Thing.”
Audience: Adult
Rating: 4
TL;DR: Exile Bo-Kate Wisby returns to Needsville, intent on uniting the Tufa and bringing them out of hiding and into the modern world. The problem? She doesn’t care how many people she has to murder in order to do it.
Longer review: This is the third book by Bledsoe set in the Tufa community of Needsville, Tennessee. The Appalachian setting brings to mind bluegrass music, the majestic isolation of mountain valleys, and shades of the feuding Hatfields & McCoys, creating the perfect atmosphere for an exiled Fairie community to take root in North American soil.
As has been slowly revealed in the previous two books, the Tufa are an Americanized splinter group of the Tuatha de Danann, cast out long ago for the sins of their leader, Rockhouse Hicks.
In the previous book, the tyrannical Hicks lost much of his former power over the community. While many of the Tufa were happy when this happened, exile Bo-Kate Wisby had reason to be the ecstatic. Rockhouse’s fall from power broke the enchantment that kept the psychopathic Bo-Kate from being able to return.
Bo-Kate is full of fury, and determined to take her revenge on the community that cast her out, stole her voice and separated her from the love of her life. She is more than willing to kill anyone who stands up to her, and leaves a trail of bodies through the community as she tries to win enough support to destroy Needsville, once and for all.

Author’s Website: http://alexbledsoe.com/

Read alikes:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Almost anything by Charles de Lint
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

Reviewed by: Teresa Dahlgren, Waterloo Public Library

Review: The Thorn of Dentonhill

Title: The Thorn of Dentonhill

Author: Marshall Ryan Maresca

Information on series: So far no series, but a 2^nd book set in the same world is due out soon.

Audience: Teen/Adult

Rating: 3

TL;DR: In the city of Maradaine, vigilante Veranix Calbert takes on the drug dealer who destroyed his family.

Longer review:

Veranix Calbert seems to be an ordinary student of magic at the University of Maradaine. Few people know of his tragic history. His father was killed by drug-lord Willem Fenmere, who then forcibly addicted Veranix’s mother to effitte, which destroyed her mind. Veranix will do almost anything to bring down Fenmere’s empire before it destroys more lives.

Fortunately, his early (and convenient) training as an archer and acrobat in the circus comes in handy. His magical abilities help him jump to the tops of buildings in a single bound.

Things get more interesting when Veranix accidentally steals a magical rope and cloak, rather than an effitte shipment. He discovers that wearing the cloak allows him to do much more magic than he normally can, and the rope can be directed magically by his thoughts.

Unfortunately for Veranix, the powerful Blue Hand Circle of mages were the intended recipients of the rope and cloak. Now, they’re out to find the mysterious “Thorn” in Fenmere’s side, too.

While the premise of this book is novel, the execution had problems. The dialogue seemed either clunky or cheesy most of the time, and it kept me from enjoying the flow of the story. The names of the characters felt overly contrived. I also had problems overlooking the Veranix’s clichéd background. All I kept thinking was that it was a weird mash-up of Batman and Robin’s backstories.

The one bright spot in this novel, and the reason that I *might* read another book of Mr. Maresca’s was his portrayal of the Rose Street Princes, one of the street gangs mentioned in the book. I enjoyed the character of Colin, one of the street captains of the Princes, who is also Veranix’s cousin. Colin provided a glimmer of hope that Maresca can create a real character, and not just a caricature.

Author’s Website: http://mrmaresca.com/wp

Read or view alikes:

Any of the “Batman” graphic novels, although especially the ones in which Bruce Wayne remembers his parents.

The TV series “Arrow”, or Netflix series “Daredevil,” for their vigilante themes.

The Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne for its pacing and adventure.

Reviewed by: Teresa Dahlgren, Waterloo Public Library

Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

 Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest

Author: Holly Black

Audience: YA--Some romance, fairly chaste

Series Information: Holly Black is a very prolific YA fantasy author, but this is a stand alone volume.

Rating: 3/5

The town of Fairfold is famous for the weird things that happen there. Tourists come to see the horned boy in the glass casket who has been sleeping in the forest for generations (think Snow White or Sleeping Beauty). Rumors of fairies and other supernatural creatures attract the tourists as well. For the citizens of Fairfold, the creatures of the forest are known as the Folk. The people and the Folk have struck a deal that the Folk will leave the people of the town alone, but tourists are not so lucky. Occasionally, a tourist may show up dead or disappear in the forest.  All appears to be at a more or less copacetic place until one day the glass coffin is broken and the horned boy inside is free. Now the town is in a tailspin and bad things start happening to even those who have lived in Fairfold their entire lives.

Hazel and her brother Ben were born and raised in Fairfold. As children, they took it upon themselves to defend the people of the town and the tourists from the dangerous tricks of the Folk.  As a child, Hazel fancied herself to be a knight and even killed some of the Folk. As a child, the lines of justice seem clear cut. Now in her teen years, she will learn that not everyone (or everything) would view her actions as justice.

For the most part, this was an entertaining read. I cared about what was going to happen to the characters. Hazel is a strong female character to root for, but she also has flaws, which is refreshing. Characters solve mysteries in a realistic way (well, you know, realistic enough once you accept that their friend is a changeling). There are definitely enough fairies, elves, and changelings to satisfy seasoned fantasy readers. However, the reader (for the most part) is still in a world they would recognize. This nicely saves space for story instead of world building (which some might lament, others praise).  I would have given this book a higher rating, but the ending lost me. In the last chapter, every. single. sentence was dripping in meaning which results in very unnatural language usage. 

Read alikes: (Thanks to some crowd-sourcing)

Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr

Holly Black books

Cassandra Clare books

Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater

Review by Olivia of the Ericson Public Library, readalikes by RART

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Title: Burn For Me: A Hidden Legacy Novel

Author: Ilona Andrews
Information on series: First in series
Audience:  Adult
Rating (scale of 1-5, with 5 being highest): 4.5

TL/DR: Nevada Baylor is a small time PI faced with the most challenging case of her career.  In modern day Houston, many humans have been blessed with magical powers.  It is common knowledge and some are more powerful than others.  Can Nevada work with her unlikely ally, Mad Rogan, to bring in a dangerous being?  The first book in this Urban fantasy series pairs a smart, savvy female protagonist with a dark, brooding anit-hero.  Burn for me is fun and engaging, with a dash of romance. 

Longer Review: I must confess, my favorite sub-genre of Fantasy is Urban Fantasy.  I’m a sucker for well written fantasies that take place in real world settings, with strong female characters, magic, and some romance.  Ilona Andrews (the husband and wife writing team of Ilona and Gordon Andrews) is one of my top 3 favorite authors in this genre.

In Houston, Nevada Baylor has taken over her family’s detective business that is mortgaged out to a much larger firm.  In this modern day alternate world, magic equals power and none are more powerful than Mad Rogan.  Nevada is tasked with bringing in a fire mage and she needs to work with Mad in order to complete her assignment.  Nevada isn’t powerful, but she is essentially a human lie detector.  A skill that comes in very handy in her line of work.  She is smart, scrappy, loyal, a very well rounded woman. 

Thoughts on Mad Rogan:  Is he a good guy? Is he a bad guy?  I just don’t know!  I mean, he helps Nevada, but is he putting her in more danger?  Is he even capable of real feelings?  There is a bit of romance in this book, but as this is the first in a series the main characters are really just getting to know one another.  No insta love in this book (yay)! 

Thoughts on Nevada’s rag-tag family:  Her cousins seem like normal teenagers caught in a not so great situation.  Nevada is barely older than her cousins, yet she seems to be in charge of the entire family, including her mom and grandmother. Speaking of her grandmother,  I LOVE this women! She kind of reminds me of the grandmother in the Stephanie Plum books, but not quite as wacky.  She is a weapons expert so I guess the two grannies do have the love of guns in common. I suspect we will be getting more back story on Nevada's family in future books. 

The twist at the end, wow!.  I totally did not see that coming.  I read an advanced readers copy of Burn for Me before its October, 2014 release date.  Fortunately the new book in the series "White Hot" will be out in October of this year, I honestly can't wait to read the continuing saga of Nevada and Mad.   

I would call this a gateway book to Urban Fantasy.  Light on the world building because it takes place in modern times, and no vampires, werewolves, shape shifters etc.  If you've wanted to try Urban Fantasy but have been hesitant for some reason or another, this is a great choice for your first book.  

Read A-likes:

The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin

When a serial killer descended from the fiend known as Grendel is let loose on the world, Makenna Fraser and Ian Byrne, who work for Supernatural Protection and Investigations, must race against time to stop him before more innocent lives are lost.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

While trying to live a so-called normal existence, mechanic Mercy Thompson, a shape shifter raised by werewolves, gets into trouble with the gremlins, witches, and vampires with whom she deals on a daily basis.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

On the eve of her marriage, Elena Michaels learns that her fiancé has been concealing his secret life as a werewolf, and, as a bonus, he has made her into one also.

Amy Muchmore, Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Review: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Title: Rosemary and Rue

Author: Seanan McGuire

Series: October Daye

Audience: Teen/Adult

Rating: 5 stars

TL;DR: October Daye, a changeling P.I., is compelled under threat of death to solve the murder of Countess Evening Winterrose.

Longer review: Half-fae private investigator October “Toby” Daye is building her life with her husband and daughter in the mortal world, when a case she is working for her liege goes south, and the bad guys turn her into a fish.

Fourteen years later, the spell has worn off and Toby has reappeared in the mortal world. Her mortal husband and daughter want nothing to do with the wife and mother who they think abandoned them, and Toby wants nothing to do with the Summerlands.

Understandably bitter, Toby is keeping her head down and just trying to readjust to life. But when Countess Evening Winterrose, one of Toby’s few friends from Fairie, is viciously murdered shortly after she calls Toby begging for help, Toby is drawn back into a world she hates.

What makes this book incredible is McGuire’s easy writing style, her well-developed characters, and the depth of her world-building. Once you sink into this book, you’ll have to be dragged out of it. Better yet, there are currently eight books in the series, with at least five more planned.

McGuire is a prolific author, with two series under her own name, and another two under her pen name Mira Grant.

Author’s Website: http://www.seananmcguire.com

Read alikes:

Marie Brennan’s Onyx Court series: Set in Elizabethan London, the first book in this series, Midnight Never Come, follows Michael Deven, a mortal courtier in Elizabeth’s court and Lune, a fairie lady sent to manipulate Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster. Although this book is set in a different time and place than McGuire’s series, there are similarities in the court politics and the interaction between the Fae and mortal worlds.

Kat Richardson’s Greywalker series: Set in Seattle, this series features P.I. Harper Blaine, who, after a near fatal accident, develops the ability to see and move through the Grey – the realm of ghosts, witches, vampires and magic. Like October Daye, Harper Blaine is a tough woman dealing with both real and otherworldly problems.

Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series: Set in a post-epidemic Cincinnati, bounty-hunter and witch Rachel Morgan must contend with elves, vampires, werewolves and demons. This series has a lighter feel than McGuire’s, and is a little faster-paced, but both series have a strong and resourceful female protagonists.

Teresa Dahlgren

Waterloo Public Library