The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

The Mage in Black is the second book in the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells. The second book is just as engrossing as the first. From the moment I picked it up, all I wanted to do was lock myself away so I could finish it.

The plot in The Mage in Black moves along slower than Red-Headed Stepchild. There's still plenty of ass kicking and action, but this one concentrates more on the characters. The first one was also character driven, but that's ramped up even more in book 2.

After the showdown at the end of Red-Headed Stepchild, Sabina is heading to New York to meet her twin sister. It's very clear from the moment that they meet that while both girls are half-vampire half-mage, they couldn't be more different. Sabina finds herself in a completely new world with new politics and new rules to learn. On top of all of that, she's dealing with a prophecy that she doesn't believe in, and someone is out to kill her.

Like I did with Sabina, I feel completely in love with her sister Maise. Maise and Rhea are great additions to the world. Maise is the sweet sister who wants to get to know Sabina, Rhea is a tough taskmaster responsible for Sabina's mage training. Of course Gighul, is back to help Sabina out and serve as comic relief. Wells is a master at creating characters that the reader can easily fall in love with. She did it with Vinca in Red-Headed Stepchild, and she does it again with The Mage in Black.

The action increases as you get near the end of the book, and I promise that by the time you finish you will be cursing Wells because the third book isn't out until next Spring. Jaye Wells is an author to watch. Her world building gets stronger with each book, and with her first two books, she has built the foundation for a phenomenal series.

3 Reviews for the Price of 1!

I'm going to do a few reviews at once. I've been reading like a fiend for the last week, and want to make sure I let you all know how awesome the last 3 books I read were.

Not only that, but all three authors will be signing here in Houston this Saturday. Gail Carriger, Jaye Wells, and Nicole Peeler will all be at Murder by the Book on Saturday, April 24th at 5pm!

Review 1 - Changeless by Gail Carriger

Changeless is the second book in Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate Series. (You can read my review of the first book, Soulless, here.) For those not familiar with the series, it reads like an Austen-esque comedy of manners. Alexia, the heroine, has no soul. She gossips with vampires, is married to a werewolf, and she's still very concerned with adhering to the social mores of her time.

The books are populated with vivid characters. In Changeless, Carriger introduces us to Madame Lefoux, a mysterious inventory with a taste for dressing in men's clothes. Madame Lefoux is easily one of the best characters I've been introduced to in a long time. I would love nothing more than to be able to spend an after with her and Alexia, sipping tea and gossiping.

Changeless finds Alexia leaving London and following her husband to Scotland. A weird plague seems to be infecting the supernatural beings in the area, effectively rendering them human. While Alexia is investigating, she finds herself in the middle of her husband's family and pack drama. Like book one, Changeless is laugh out loud funny and witty. Carriger is great at writing a quick paced, and completely entertaining book that pays homage to classic literature while mixing in the supernatural, and making it feel completely modern at the same time. Blameless, book three in the series, will be out in September, and you definitely be desperate for it once you finish Changeless.

Review 2 - Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

Jaye Wells deprived me of at least one night's rest. Once I started Red-Headed Stepchild I did not want to put it down. The book grabs you, and doesn't let you go. For starters, Wells has a unique take on the creation of vampires, and their weaknesses. She says it's a mixture of Hebrew Lore, the Bible, and her own twisted imagination.

Wells is extremely adept at setting up her supernatural world. She quickly gives you enough information to shape the world that her characters are living in, and still leaves it open to expand on later. The plot speeds along quickly, but not so quickly that you get overwhelmed or miss important details. She also makes sure to keep the reader guessing as to whether Sabina is fighting for the good guys or the bad guys.

The characters are what really made this book for me. While they're all vampires, mages, or other supernatural beings, they are still dealing with completely human issues. Anyone will relate to Sabina's struggle as she tries to forge her way in the world. Sabina was born part mage, part vampire. She was raised by vampires, but has felt like an outsider most of her life. She's torn between family obligation, her own intuition, and the need to be her own person. Wells makes you care about all the characters, even the secondary ones. Book 2, The Mage in Black is out now. You might as well buy them both, because you'll want to start book 2 as soon as you finish the first one.

Review 3 - Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

I found out about Tempest Rising when Gail Carriger posted a review that said she and Peeler were queering the genre of urban fantasy. Actually, all three of these authors are working to queer the genre. Each book features gay characters or gay subtext. It's marvelous!

I've also seen a lot of reviews say that if you love the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris, you'll love Tempest Rising. That's probably true. Both authors are writing about characters living in small towns. I actually enjoyed Jane True more than Sookie. Jane, like Sookie is thought to be strange by the citizens of her home town. I felt Jane's isolation more than I ever did with Sookie.

While Jane is out for a swim one night, she comes across a dead body. Before she knows it, she's engrossed in a world she never knew existed, and is learning things about herself that seem too strange to be true. As she starts to make new friends, she starts to regain some of the confidence she has lost. The struggle that she deals with, between dealing with her past and trying to move on is something everyone can relate too.

Peeler has also created a world as vivid as the cover of the book. There's a rich mythology of creatures, each with their own distinct personality. Jane is an endearing character, and as I said, I really felt her isolation, and the internal struggle she deals with while she's trying to heal is very believable.

The book is sexy, funny, well written, and really fun.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

I make it no secret that out of all the urban fantasy authors I read Kelley Armstrong is my favorite. She's the first author to get me hooked on the genre, and out I look forward to new books from her the most.

I've been dying for The Reckoning since I finished The Awakening last year. The Reckoning is the final book in her Darkest Powers Trilogy for young adults. The trilogy takes place in the same world as her Otherworld books do, but there isn't much overlap. Actually, in The Reckoning the overlap a little more than the previous books. A couple minor characters from Frostbitten appear in The Reckoning.

In Armstrong's world supernaturals come into their powers when they hit puberty, and the The Darkest Powers follows the story of a group of teens that are coming into their powers. However, the kids have been the victim of a bizarre genetic experiment that has caused their powers to go all wonky. As the title suggests, in The Reckoning it's time for The Edison to be held accountable for their actions in the first two books.

This series is filled with plenty of mystery, conspiracy, action, and great characters. Armstrong excels at creating characters that pull you into the story. Chloe is no exception. One thing I really appreciate about the teens in her books is that they're angsty but it's not over the top. I think she was definitely conscious of trying to make the characters act like real teenagers but without making them completely irritating.

If any other author wrote this series I would be bummed that the trilogy was over. She answers enough questions, but still leaves enough loose ends to drive you a little insane. Luckily, she's working on another trilogy and the first book, The Gathering, will be out next year. The new trilogy will follow another group of kids, but she has a said there will be some overlap so we will see the characters from this trilogy again. Armstrong is a master at keeping you in touch with what other characters from the series are doing.

The almost frantic pace of the novel really pulls you into the sense of urgency the kids are feeling. While they're in the midst of being hunted, they're also building relationships with each other. There's a little romance going on, but the relationship I enjoyed the most was between Chloe and Tori. I enjoyed seeing the two of them try to find a way to come together even though they really couldn't stand each other. I really kind of fell for Tori in this one, and am most curious about what happens to her next. Again, it's a testament to Armstrong's character development that she can make you care that much about the secondary characters as well as the main ones.

The Reckoning was the perfect ending to a really great trilogy and left me wanting more. Thank goodness she'll be delivering more. Armstrong has announced a fairly extensive tour schedule. Check it out on her website. She'll be hitting Houston on June 4th, and again in September with the Smart Chicks Kick It tour.

An evening with Patricia Briggs

This evening I was lucky enough to see Patricia Briggs at Murder by the Book. If you're not aware of Murder by the Book, you should check out their website. They are quite possibly the coolest bookstore ever (and this is coming from someone who spends 40+ hours a week in a bookstore). Make sure you check out their upcoming events. They have a ton of them, and they host really great, well organized signings.

I'm a big fan of the Mercy books, and was thrilled that I'd get to see her speak. I had no clue that I would walk away an even bigger fan. I'm completely enamored with her now and want to run out and buy everything she's ever written, even though I don't care for straight fantasy.

Let's see if I can remember everything she said from the Q&A:

Her talk started with applause for her hitting #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and she had her Mercy's Garage jacket with her. That was pretty cool!

The Cry Wolf graphic novel is still happened. Dabel Brothers wasn't a great fit for her working relationship-wise so she's with another company and they're starting to work on them now.

Film rights have been bought for the Mercy books, but the contract is really complicated. She'll have a lot of creative control in the process though. She says she's worried the movies will turn out like Blood and Chocolate and since she'll have a say in them, it will be her fault.

Her first book Masques is being reprinted. She went back a reworked some of, and a never before published sequel is coming out too.

Someone asked if would consider doing books or stories from the point of view of other characters. She said she wants to a Samuel book. She felt it was hard to write about his romance in Silver Borne because it was from Mercy's point of view and she'd like to go back and tell the full story. Someone asked if we'd get a Bran book and she said no. She'll probably do another Anna and Charles book and then alternate them with other characters.

She talked about the folklore that she researched to write the rules of her supernatural world. I loved hearing her talk about how silver used to be considered a holy metal. Did you know people believed vampires couldn't see their own reflection because mirrors were made with silver?

Another person asked her about the rape in Iron Kissed. She said that as she was writing the book the character of Tim was evolving and at the point she knew it was going to happen she called her editor to talk to her about it. Patricia was afraid she was going to alienate readers, and Anne told her to do what felt right. Patricia felt that there was a stereotype that when bad things happen to strong female protagonists they all the sudden stop being strong. She felt that putting Mercy in the situation and then letting her escape at the last minute would have been the coward's way out. At the same time, she didn't want to put the reader through the experience of reading it, because when you really love a character you feel like it's happening to your best friend.

Hearing her talk about that scene, how hard it was to write, how she can't read it, and the decision to write it was amazing. You could tell that it's still really emotional for her and that she didn't do it lightly.

The fae characters and knowledge is based on books that she read as a child. She and her sister had a big volume of old fairy tales and that's where she drew her inspiration from.

As she was signing my book I wanted to thank her for including gay characters in her books. Especially gay werewolves. There was a period in my life where all I read was gay fiction because I wanted to see me reflected in what I was reading. It's so refreshing to read something (especially in the sci-fi/fantasy genre) where there are gay characters and it's just natural. She said that's exactly how she wanted it to be. I asked if she'd ever consider writing a Warren and Kyle short story. I about fell over when she said had ideas for, and would like to do BOOKS with them. BOOKS!

She was so personable and friendly with everyone. If you get a chance to go to a Patricia Briggs signing, GO! She was funny, smart, and very appreciative of her fans. I heard her thank every person for being there as she started signing their books.

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

(if you haven't read Iron Kissed or Bone Crossed, you may be spoiled by this review)

I struggled with Bone Crossed, book 4 in the Mercy Thompson series. It was a lot darker than the rest of series. It needed to be after the events of Iron Kissed. I love dark urban fantasy, but I don't pick up the Mercy Thompson books for dark urban fantasy.

Because I didn't love Bone Crossed like I loved the first three books, I was a little hesitant when I started Silver Borne. Honestly, I was afraid that Bone Crossed wasn't going to be a transitional book and I wouldn't love the series anymore. For the first 30 pages I wasn't completely loving Silver Borne, but that didn't last long. Once I got into the story I didn't want to put the book down.

For those of you not familiar with the series, Mercy Thompson is a shape-shifting mechanic. She transforms into a coyote, and she can fix cars like no one's business. She was raised by werewolves, so she doesn't really fit in anywhere. There's really not a whole lot of plot going in this one. Mercy was loaned a book by one of the fae, and now someone wants it back. Adam's pack is still falling apart, and Mercy is still having issues with being part of a pack as well as dealing with the aftermath of her rape.

This book is all about relationships. Almost every relationship in Mercy's life is strained. The pack is interfering with her relationship with Adam, Samuel is having a meltdown of his own, and even her working relationship with Gabriel is in trouble.

One of the areas where I think Briggs has always been strongest was her characters. Mercy has always been an outcast, and as a result of that she's had to build her own family. That really comes through in this new book. True, the pack family is completely screwed up and dysfunctional, but it's still part of her family. Briggs was able to let the plot take a backseat to some very important character development. Don't get me wrong, it's not just a bunch of supernatural beings sitting around talking about their feelings. There's still plenty of action to be had, including a pretty brutal fight scene that was painful to read.

The plot serves to give many of the characters some insight that they need to move the series along. Mercy has always been a strange mix of strength and vulnerability, and that continues to shine in this installment. Everything that happens in this book makes the events of Bone Crossed work. When I had read Bone Crossed, it just felt off. In hindsight, I'm glad Briggs changed up the series a little, because this book would not have been so awesome if she hadn't.

I also love Briggs for having a gay werewolf in her series. She handles the inclusion of Warren and his (human) partner Kyle beautifully. Their inclusion in her world is so natural. They're not treated any differently than any other characters. She also doesn't sugarcoat Warren's existence. He's a gay werewolf in a very masculine world. It causes friction, but it's not over the top. he genre of scifi/fantasy doesn't exactly have the best track record with being LGBT inclusive, so it's always nice to see it done in such an effortless way.

I couldn't stop smiling as I finished this book. I think Mercy is the strongest that we've seen her in a long time. She still has some stuff to work out, but she's definitely on her way to healing.

For those of you in Houston, Patricia Briggs is going to be signing at Murder by the Book on Friday, 9th at 6:30pm.

Spellwright by Blake Charlton

I have a confession. I don't like high fantasy books. I'll read Urban Fantasy until the end of time, but high fantasy does nothing for me. I will freely admit that I have preconceived notions of what high fantasy is. To me, it's all some guy with a funny name who is the seventh son of the eighth king of this magical land with an even funnier name, and he must go on a quest to save the elf gnome people from the big scary dragon, and he'll have to walk a lot to do it. Throw in some insanely difficult to understand political factions, some magic, a few sword fights, 1000 pages, and even some more walking and you've got yourself a high fantasy book. (Yes, I know that's really stereotyping and the whole genre isn't like that)

Blake Charlton's Spellwright has been the first high fantasy book (aside from The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring) that I've ever finished. Not only did I finish it, but I really enjoyed reading it. Getting through Tolkien was a chore for me. Spellwright grabbed me right from the start and I couldn't wait to pick it up again. I wanted to find time to get back into the story and see what happened.

The magic system that Charlton has created is really interested. All the magic is made up of words that the characters write on their arms and then are able to manipulate. In his bio, Blake Charlton talks about growing up with dyslexia, and Spellwright is a brilliant telling of that story. Nicodemus mispells most of the magic he touches unless he concentrates really hard. In a way, Spellwright is about Nicodemus being able to conquer the written word and make it work for him instead of against him. I really appreciated how the book was a testament to the power of words and stories.

I didn't feel lost at all while I was reading Spellwright. The prophecies, politics, magic, and intrigue never got to the point where it was overwhelming. It also never over powered the story. All of the elements that are introduced are done to benefit the story.

The characters are what I really appreciated. Nicodemus is extremely endearing as he struggles with his disability, and he's so good hearted that you can't help but love him. Nicodemus is determined to do the right thing, and will fight to get it done. The identity of the villain is hidden throughout most of the book, and I love that there's enough red herrings placed in the book to keep you wondering who it could be. While Nicodemus is the good guy, and the monster is the bad guy, Spellwright is still filled with enough characters that will keep you guessing which side they fall on.

I picked up Spellwright because it sounded interesting, and to try a fantasy novel. I enjoyed it so much that it really made me rethink the genre. I will definitely be buying Spellbound when it's released, and I may even try to venture out and read more fantasy at some point.

Check out Blake's website for more reviews and more info about Spellwright.