Book Review

Grave Witch by Kalayna Price

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb:

As a grave witch, Alex Craft can speak to the dead - she's even on good terms with Death himself. As a consultant for the police, she's seen a lot of dark magic, but nothing has prepared her for her latest case. When she's raising a 'shade' involved in a high profile murder, it attacks her - and then someone makes an attempt on her life. Someone really doesn't want her to know what the dead have to say, and she'll have to work with mysterious homicide detective Falin Andrews to figure out why.



Me:

I enjoyed this one a lot. The world it's set in is vivid, and colourful. The characters are funny and believable and the romance didn't overwhelm the main storyline.It was an excellent start to a series and I look forward to getting Book 2, Grave Dance when it comes out in July.



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Gardening Again...

So the madness begins again. I have finally found a patch down the back of the estate that someone has already plowed, and will be able to share with them. I can't put it in the back of my own garden because of the new pup, Ted, who has a tendency to chew everything not actually nailed down and even that isn't necessarily a deterrent, because he just views the nails as a challenge. So the peas and scallions and a few other bits are in the little greenhouse and stones will be picked tomorrow. Updates to follow.

Blog done.

I won't be continuing with this Challenge because I don't like the attempted re-branding of Science Fiction as Speculative Fiction. I have loved Science Fiction & Fantasy for years in all it's guises, and the Speculative Fiction title just whiffs to me Marketing Bull to make it more acceptable to people who look at the Genre, and won't read it because all they see is aliens, elves and maps in the front of the book. The Speculative Fiction title irritates me because it reeks of spin and dishonesty. I was initially willing to put that aside, because I thought I was being over sensitive, but as the month has gone on it's niggled at me, and even the chance at some very cool prizes won't change my mind.

The Native Star by M.K. Hobson

The Native Star by M.K. Hobson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Genre:
Urban fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Steam Punk (it's very hard to pin a Genre on this Work)

BLURB:
The year is 1876. In the small Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine, the town witch, Emily Edwards, is being run out of business by an influx of mail-order patent magic. Attempting to solve her problem with a love spell, Emily only makes things worse. But before she can undo the damage, an enchanted artefact falls into her possession—and suddenly Emily must flee for her life, pursued by evil warlocks who want the object for themselves.

Reminds Me of:
+ Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card
+ Little House on the Prairie
+ Darktower (A tiny bit)

Bits I liked:
+ The two main characters were believable and a little abrasive, but were likable despite this
+ I liked that the two main Characters started out disliking each other and gradually begin to love one another rather than usual story of two people Falling in love at first sight (and usually having Mind Blowing Sex) it didn't overwhelm the Story which is great.
+ The great plot, which kept me guessing the motivation of the all the people Emily and Dreadnaught get involved with and

Bits I Didn’t Like So Much:
+ I really didn't like of the two main protagonists at the beginning of the novel, perhaps this was on purpose, but I found it a bit hard to get into the book initially

Overall:
I really loved this book. It touches on a lot of different genres but is inimically its own, and that is always a joy to read. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series by M.K. Hobson.




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Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge for 2011

I will be reading the books in these genres anyway so I'll give it a go. :)

Short, Sweet and to the point....

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's a lot more straightforward than his other adult books, But it still has the charm, humour and fun that makes them enjoyable. It also keeps you Guessing about the fate of the dragon right to the end. Overall it'as a fun engrossing read which should be enjoyed by adults and kids alike..



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Teddy's getting big now

Just a quick blog trying to do Nano Wrimo , current word count 41, so, that's going well, but here's an updated pic of my new doggie... :D I might try to blog here every day too , just for November.