[COVER ART] Fallen Rogue – Amy Rench

Cover for Amy Rench’s Fallen Rogue, to be published by Dorchester in December. No pre-order links yet, but I so want to read this

[REVIEW] Intertwined – Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter
Intertwined
HarlequinTEEN (US: 1st September 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

The supernatural and psychological mix in Gena Showalter’s slightly confusing, but mostly epic, young adult urban fantasy, Intertwined.

Aden Stone has four souls living inside him, each with their own paranormal ability: raising the dead, seeing the future, possessing another human, and time travelling. Aden can hear them most of the time – except when Mary Ann Gray is around. Somehow she negates their presence, but how, and why?

Vampires and werewolves also feature in the novel, but their sub-plots are unremarkable. Witches, demons and fairies also have their place here, but these create a kitchen sink effect – chuck everything in, and see what happens. This ultimately lets the story down, because the time travel is undoubtedly the most engaging and engrossing part of Intertwined. Having never really encountered it before, it comes across as fresh and new, with an original take making it more personal for the characters, and thus more relatable for readers. It’s riveting reading, and signals time travel as perhaps the next big thing in fiction. I know I’m intrigued.

[REVIEW] My Soul to Take – Rachel Vincent

Rachel Vincent
My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, Book 1)
HarlequinTEEN (US: 1st August 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

What could be illness – neurological or otherwise – may be something much deadlier in Rachel Vincent’s first young adult urban fantasy Soul Screamers novel, My Soul to Take.

Shadows blanket a girl who’s about to die. Kaylee Cavanaugh wants to warn her, but can’t. Withholding Kaylee’s growing grief-stricken shriek is more than she can handle alone, so having Nash Hudson calm her is some relief. Except that he knows too much about Kaylee: not just who she is, but also what she is. Together, they may be able to save potential victims of an unseen-to-the-human-eye serial killer, but there’s always an exchange rate. If one person is saved, someone else will still die…

I’d heard this was a good book, but didn’t expect it to make me cry. Too personal to share why here, but it just goes to show that the most powerful fiction is that which strongly resembles real life. However, once 100 pages had gone and the story became more paranormal, I was fine. I could distance myself from it, and should be able to read the following novels in the series tear-free.

The twists and turns are intriguing, and form an engrossing read. A truly outstanding novel, it’ll be a hard act to follow but one to watch, come My Soul to Save‘s release in January 2010.

Why Writing in Public is Tossy

From here:

Meg: [typing on a laptop] Don’t mind me, you guys. I’m just writing a letter to my boyfriend. [types aloud] “Dear My Boyfriend, thank you for making out with me recently on purpose. That was cool. Those flowers that you totally sent me were really pretty. Just like you said I am. Love, Meg.”
Chris: Meg, you are so full of crap. You’re like those people who sit in Starbucks and publicly write on their laptops.
[Cutaway to Starbucks, where 2 men are typing on their own laptops]
Man 1: Hey, gettin’ some writing done there, buddy?
Man 2: Yeah, settin’ up in public so everybody can watch me type my big screenplay.
Man 1: Me too. All real writers need to be seen writing, otherwise, what’s the point, right?
Man 2: You should totally write that down.
Man 1: Okay. Will you watch me?

–Family Guy, “Bill and Peter’s Bogus Journey” episode.

Rooster Hazard

Found this on my camera phone tonight. The poster was on a door inside Montrose Library, photographed when I went there earlier this year for a writers’ session with Ally Blake.

I’m not sure what the “hazard” is, but that rooster sure has a “dude, what the eff?” expression.

By the way, kids: it’s rude to point

[REVIEW] Night’s Cold Kiss – Tracey O’hara

Tracey O’hara
Night’s Cold Kiss (Dark Brethren, Book 1)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 14th August 2009; US: 25th August 2009)
Cover art by Larry Rostant
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

The lines are cut thin between good and evil, and trust and mistrust, in Tracey O’hara’s creepy first Dark Brethren novel, Night’s Cold Kiss.

A woman was murdered whilst her six-year-old daughter watched. Now all grown up, and an elite Venator, Antoinette Petruscu is haunted by the parahuman who murdered her mother. Supposedly he died in a fire, but that’s looking unlikely, and it can’t just be a coincidence that women who share common features with Antoinette are being murdered.

Keeping herself safe whilst investigating means teaming up with Christian Laroque, an Aeternus. Trained to hunt Necrodreniacs addicted to the death-high of draining a human completely whilst feeding, Antoinette is not exactly friendly with vampiric people. But this is a matter of life and death – eternal or otherwise.

Whilst this series’s vampires have a decent dose of originality, they also examplify what I dislike most: blood-thrall. It has the sleaze of mind-rape, though the donors seem rather scarily into it. This never sits well with me, but please persist reading if you’re struggling early on – the last half of the novel is engrossing. The less you know beforehand, the better your reading experience. I can’t name my favourite characters because of their strong connections to major spoilers.

Though the author is Australian, the setting is American, and the only Aussies you’ll find here are in the bar – unsurprising, really

The sci-fi elements are the real drawcards, raising this above most other vampire novels on the market. With memorable scenes and a particularly unforgettable character (you’ll know when you meet her), Night’s Cold Kiss kicks off a series with strong world-building, and hopefully much more science to come.

Tracey O’hara’s NIGHT’S COLD KISS

Was about to compose my review, when I realised that information about the book in general hasn’t yet been plastered all over the net. So here’s the information I’ve found, as well as links to relevant sources. Just so you know what you’re getting yourself into Please support Australian authors – this one’s from the ACT

Tracey O’hara
Night’s Cold Kiss (Dark Brethren, Book 1)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 14th August 2009; US: 25th August 2009)
Cover art by Larry Rostant
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
For centuries war raged between the humans and Aeternus vampires – until courageous efforts on both sides forged a fragile peace. But the rogue Necrodreniacs will never be controlled – addicted as they are to the death-high…and bloody chaos. Since witnessing the murder of her mother, Antoinette Petrescu has burned with fiery hatred for the vampire race – even for Christian Laroque, the noble, dangerously handsome Aeternus who rescued her. Now an elite Venator, Antoinette must reluctantly accept Christian’s help to achieve her vengeance – even as he plots to use the beautiful, unsuspecting warrior as bait to draw out the bloodthirsty dreniacs.

“Intense, sexy, bold, Night’s Cold Kiss is a superb debut. Tracey O’Hara writes in a voice full of passion and power – I’m already waiting impatiently for the next book from this talented author.” –Nalini Singh

“With its dark and sexy hero, and a storyline that hooks you from the first page, Night’s Cold Kiss is a compelling read. I can’t wait to read more about the Brethren.” –Keri Arthur

http://www.traceyohara.com/
http://traceyo.livejournal.com/
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061783135/Nights_Cold_Kiss/index.aspx
http://harpercollins.ca/books/9780061783135/Nights_Cold_Kiss/index.aspx
http://www.harpercollinscatalogs.com/harper/738_1069_313939303239.htm#readmore

June 2009 Releases

Reading Wishlist has been updated with new release dates and titles. Done with May 2009 Releases? Now it’s time for June 2009 Releases. All covers, summaries and info were found on the websites of the authors, publishers and Amazon – so don’t shoot methe messenger US = USA. UK = UK. CA = Canada. AU = Australia. It’s all behind the cut…

Anya Bast
Witch Fury (Elemental Witches, Book 4)
Penguin Berkley (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
Cover art by Tony Mauro
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Sarafina Connell is having the worst week of her life. It takes an even darker turn when an infamous playboy kidnaps her and reveals a world she never knew existed…It’s a world where magick is real, and where Sarafina is given a chance to join a secret cabal that is bent on gaining absolute power. They could use a woman like her – a witch with an untapped gift for creating fire. But she isn’t about to get in league with the devil. Rescued from her captors, Sarafina is introduced to a coven that is duty-bound to fight the forces of darkness. She’s pleased that her savior is the imposingly seductive Theo – until the trust between them goes up in flames. However, as the war between good and evil is waged, Sarafina and Theo realize they have no choice but to unite in the battle for supremacy – that’s getting hotter by the minute.

Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus (Morganville Vampires, Book 6)
Penguin Signet (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace – until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He’s kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants – the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power?

Laurell K. Hamilton
Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Book 17)
Penguin Berkley (US & CA: 2nd June 2009); Hachette Headline (AU: June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Anita Blake’s reputation has taken some hits. Not on the work front, where she has the highest kill count of all the legal vampire executioners in the country, but on the personal front. No one seems to trust a woman who sleeps with the monsters. Still, when a vampire serial killer sends her a head from Las Vegas, Anita has to warn Sin City’s local authorities what they’re dealing with. Only it’s worse than she thought. Several officers and one executioner have been slain – paranormal style…Anita heads to Las Vegas, where she’s joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward hiding behind his mild-mannered persona. It’s a good thing Edward always has her back, because, when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses tiger too strongly to ignore it. The were-tigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher…

Caitlin Kittredge
Street Magic (Black London, Book 1)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes – or so she thought. Now a detective, Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget – and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…

Cheyenne McCray
Demons Not Included (Night Tracker, Book 1)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Meet Nyx. This half-human, half–Drow private eye investigates paranormal crimes by day and is an elite Tracker of demons by night. She prefers working solo – and playing rough. So when a terrifying force starts murdering innocent humans and paranorms, and leaving strange demonic symbols burned into their buildings, it’s a case Nyx takes very personally…Meanwhile, Nyx’s fellow Trackers are being killed one by one – and a sexy new Tracker named Torin is shadowing her every move. Torin has powers Nyx can’t read, and sometimes she wonders whose side he’s on. Nyx’s instincts tell her something’s brewing in the city’s meanest supernatural streets, and that it’s ready to unleash hell on Earth. Who can she trust? Now it’s five minutes to permanent midnight…and Nyx’s last chance means risking everything – even her own life.

Kat Richardson
Greywalker (Greywalker, Book 1)
Penguin Roc (US: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until a two-bit perp’s savage assault left her dead for two minutes. When she comes to in the hospital, she sees things that can only be described as weird – shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring. But Harper’s not crazy. Her “death” has made her a Greywalker – able to move between the human world and the mysterious cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift is about to drag her into that strange new realm – whether she likes it or not.

Neal Shusterman
Unwind
Simon & Schuster Children’s (US & CA: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would “unwind” them. Connor’s parents want to be rid of him because he’s a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev’s unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family’s strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can’t be harmed – but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

Jordan Summers
Scarlet (Dead World, Book 2)
Macmillan Tor (US: 2nd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
If you’re not afraid of the big bad wolf…you should be. Welcome to the near-future where prejudice is no longer tied to the color of your skin, but the purity of your blood. To be accused of taint is tantamount to a death sentence. Thrust into a world of creatures Gina ‘Red’ Santiago never knew existed, she does her best to fit in while trying to come to grips with the fact that she’s a werewolf. The transition from International Police Tactical Team officer to unpaid recruiter is not an easy one, especially when her new boyfriend, Morgan, is an alpha werewolf, the local sheriff of Nuria – and her new boss. Morgan Hunter is doing his best to ease Red into her new life. She’s only beginning to understand the ‘Others’ and the power that they yield. That’s why he hasn’t mentioned that he’s claimed her as his mate. Well, that and the fact he’s not exactly sure how she’d take the news. There are some things even an alpha werewolf fears. Their newfound happiness is about to be shattered by a past Morgan thought was long buried. Someone doesn’t want them to succeed at recruiting ‘Others’ for a rival tactical team. They will do whatever it takes to prevent a team from forming, even if that means killing off the new recruits and tearing the couple apart. Now along with trying to hold their relationship together, Red and Morgan must stop the killer before they strike again. If they survive, there is that little problem of a blood war looming on the horizon. Looks like it’s going to be a long, hot summer.

Richelle Mead
Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, Book 4)
Random House Bantam (UK: 4th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus…which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she’s been so wicked that Seattle’s über-demon, Jerome, decides to “outsource” Georgina to a rival – and have her spy for him in the process. Being exiled to the frozen north – okay, Vancouver – and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there’s nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth – nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who’s been playing them – or all hell will break loose…

Laurie Faria Stolarz
Project 17
Hyperion (US: 9th June 2009)
Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients’ personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view. On the eve of the hospital’s demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it’s an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents’ diner. For the others, it’s a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

Vicki Pettersson
City of Souls (Signs of the Zodiac, Book 4)
HarperCollins Eos (CA: 19th June 2009; US: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
In Sin City, a little girl suffers from a strange and terrible malady. If she dies, the Light will die along with her. Joanna Archer has survived countless otherworldly terrors, and has found her rightful place among the agents battling the all-pervasive evil of Shadow…even as she struggles against the darkness within herself. A war is raging for the endangered soul of Las Vegas, one that catapults Joanna into a new world hidden from mortal sight in search of a cure to a devastating sickness. In this lethally seductive alternate dimension, the lines blur between good and evil, loyalty and treachery, and here lies the last hope for the Light. But Joanna’s price of admission is a piece of her own soul – and the odds of her escaping are slim…to none.

Diana Rowland
Mark of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 1)
Random House Bantam (US & CA: 23rd June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Cop and conjurer of demons, she’s a woman in danger of losing control – to a power that could kill…Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives – and souls – of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore. Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head…

Marjorie M. Liu
Darkness Calls (Hunter Kiss, Book 2)
Penguin Ace (US & CA: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Nomad born and bred, demon hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that surrounds her, the predators – human, zombie, and otherwise – who threaten the earth. But one man has penetrated her lonely life: Grant, the last of his kind. With music he is able to control any living creature…including demons. And now his life is in danger. Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon understands that to save Grant, she has only one choice – to lose control, and release her own powers of darkness…

Christine Warren, Marjorie M. Liu, Caitlin Kittredge & Jenna Maclaine
Huntress (Anthology)
Macmillan St. Martin’s (US: 30th June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)
Christine Warren: Devil’s Bargain – Supernatural bounty hunter Lilli Corbin made a pact with the Prince of Hell: She agreed to recover a book of prophecies. When she learns it could trigger the apocalypse, Lilli is forced to make the ultimate choice: save her soul, or the man she loves? Marjorie M. Liu: The Robber Bride – Welcome to a post-apocalyptic world where women are fed on for their life forces. Now it’s up to Maggie, one of the last female survivors, to hunt down and destroy an army of darkness…Caitlin Kittredge: Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go – Ava is a demon slayer who needs help from mage Jack Winter to reach the demon underworld – a place of dark seduction…and, maybe, one of no return. Jenna Maclaine: Sin Slayer – London 1889. Jack the Ripper is killing off the city’s vampire population, and now it’s up to Cin Craven to hunt him down – and save the infected Michael, the love of her undead life.

Kelley Armstrong
Made to Be Broken (Nadia Stafford, Book 2)
Hachette Sphere (AU: June 2009)
Buy (US) Buy (CA)
To the outside world Nadia Stafford is a smart, good-looking, law-abiding citizen. Well, two out of three’s not bad…An ex-cop with a legal code all her own, Nadia has a secret life as a world-class assassin. She works only for one New York crime family, who pay her handsomely to bump off traitors. But when a troubled teenager and her baby vanish in the woods near her home, Nadia’s old detective instincts – and the memory of a past loss – compel her to investigate. With her enigmatic mentor Jack to support her, Nadia unearths sinister clues that point to an increasingly dark and deadly mystery. As her obsession over the case deepens, Nadia realises that the only way she can right the wrongs of the present is to face her own painful ghosts – or die trying. And so she sets off on the trail of a young woman no one else cares about – and a killer who is bound to strike again…

[REVIEW] Tekgrrl – A. J. Menden

A. J. Menden
Tekgrrl (Elite Hands of Justice, Book 2)
Dorchester Leisure (US: 26th May 2009)
Cover by Judy York
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA)

Repressed memories are resurfacing, whether Tekgrrl wants them to or not, in A. J. Menden’s second Elite Hands of Justice superhero romance, Tekgrrl.

The Doctors Clark sent their daughter Mindy on student exchange…to another planet. She adored her Kalybri foster family, and was fluent in the language. But Mindy wasn’t prepared for the devastating events that have been blocked from her recall until now, when she’s almost thirty. There’s got to be a reason for the migraines, and the mysterious voice in her head – and why they’re around now.

Tekgrrl starts slowly, reintroducing readers to characters last encountered in Phenomenal Girl 5. Mindy’s fellow superheroes all seem to be teaming up, and she’s lonely. She has so much for which to be grateful, but instead she’s moping around, except when working on technological projects. The interesting plot points take their sweet time coming.

Then along comes Chapter 17, the most outstanding portion of this novel, and I finally connected. And the reason is all so human – social commentary. Though it takes place on another planet, the events are no doubt happening in real life, and it’s impossible not to feel compassion for Mindy and all the others trapped in that awful situation. It just goes to show that the best kind of escapist fiction is the type that’s not afraid to give a huge dose of reality. It certainly puts things in perspective for Mindy, and should for readers, too.

From there on, the book is a lot more on the ball, with fascinating content and huge twists – prepare to be startled. I unintentionally pulled myself out of the story when I came across the name Doctor Chaos (as it reminded me of Professor Chaos and General Disarray from South Park, thus eliciting laughter), but overall Tekgrrl is a winner. Here’s hoping Aphrodite gets to star in a future novel.

Thursday Thirteen: May 14 – Music

Actually only came up with 12 songs I’m rather enjoying of late, in alphabetical order of artist. Unless my alphabet skills are screwy, which they may very well be.

1. Alan Brough Interviews Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan. ABC put the audio online today.

2. Lily Allen – Not Fair

3. Eskimo Joe – Foreign Land

4. Evermore – Hey Boys and Girls (Truth of the World, Part 2)

5. Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls

6. Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone

7. Kasabian – Fire

8. Lady Gaga – Lovegame

9. Daniel Merriweather – Change
Embedding disabled by request

10. Peaches – Talk to Me

11. The Presets – If I Know You

12. Tiga – Shoes

13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero