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Here is a link to my profile.


This site is quite similar to librarything, but more free, and for a little while, I was able to participate in an online book club through it. But alas the attempt at finishing War and Peace fell through. Well, I have read other books since my last post there, let me tell you about it!


The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A gift from an internet friend with excellent taste. This was a riveting, psychological mystery/horror/drama written in pre-Victorian era, cataloging increasingly disturbing events through letters and diary entries, similar to Dracula (which I had also finished within the past year.) Of course it suffered slightly from overly Dickensian descriptions, but once I settled in that language, it was very unputdownable.


In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente
A book I bought at a library sale, another serpendipitous purchase. This is set in the form of a Scheherazade like girl telling a series of almost interwoven fairytales to a captivated young prince. Gorgeous poetic language, enchanting characters and adventures, written with a sense of childlike wonder mixed with dark humor.


Dune by Frank Herbert
One of the sci-fi books on my to-read list. Incredible world-building, with a touch of grossness, quite everything I enjoy in a sci-fi novel. I found the ending rather anticlimactic though, but the environment and action more than made up for that. I will forgo reading the rest of the series though, I am told it gets much weirder.


The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
A charming children's novel, with adorable illustrations, sensible morals and charming descriptions.


Doctor Who: the Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham
The story was all right, but the execution was rather amateurish. I would have rather seen this as an episode with the 10th doctor.


Snuff by Terry Pratchett
It's a Discworld novel with Vimes, what more needs to be said?

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier is a gorgeous dreamlike fantasy for teens, remarkably realistic and lovingly researched. The cover is a beautiful, almost Baroque style painting with figures that almost match the characters describe. (You can't imagine how annoyed I am when the covers don't match the inside of a book!) The words are magical, spirited, sensitive.

This novel combines elements of fairytales, such as the Frog Prince and the 12 Dancing Princesses, with Russian mythology about vampires, faeries and of course, Baba Yaga. The story is told by the sensible one of the dancing daughters, as she tries to protect her sisters from the troubles that assail them during a long winter. These dangers include not only their domineering cousin, but also dark visitors from Fairyland, the vampire folk.

Overall, an enjoyable, intense and satisfying read, but for one disturbing fact that often shows up in historical fantasy novels. I won't mention it here for fear of spoiling a reader; not that it's terribly disgusting, but it's kinda predictable, perhaps? But my love for the story and characters overcomes this plot point, so I'm cool with it.

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, a teen fantasy novel by Laini Taylor, is an enjoyable and fresh-faced romp through a dangerous world in which miniature fairies live in isolation, forgetting the apex of their power. An adventurous fairy named Magpie, accompanied by her crow friends, discovers that she is the fated one capable of defeating a monstrous being that swallows up life and leaves no trace. Along the way, she revives the king of Djinn, the creator of the world. With her newfound allies, 2 other young fairies with unusual magical powers, and battling traitors and other demons, she shakes the world of the fairies to the core.

What I like best about this series is the unique language style used, based on Scottish brogue or Irish dialect, I suppose. The mythology of the Djinn and Ifrit, probably unfamiliar to anyone not versed in Middle Eastern folklore, is always interesting to me. And of course, Magpie, stubborn and eventually way too over-powered, still retains a sincere and down-to-earth personality, which really impresses me in my long and jaded career of reading about stubborn and eventually way too over-powered teen heroes and heroines. Overall, an exciting read that I would recommend to anyone who won't snicker at the idea of a Tinkerbell fighting tooth and nail to save the world.

other fantasy novels

Okay, some mini-reviews of other books I randomly picked out from the library!

Flightless Falcon by Mickey Reichert
an epic fantasy novel about a impoverished father who, after being released from prison, takes on a corrupt secret brotherhood to rescue his family. He is accompanied by a fairly typical motley crew and adventures and soul-searching occurs. It was a good read for a boring afternoon, but nothing special or particularly memorable, except the fact that it leaves room for a sequel.

The Witch, the Wizard and Two Girls from Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou
I checked this out from the Bluebonnet Award winners, but it sadly wasn't that great. Another typical teen fantasy novel about two very different girls who get transported into a fantasy novel and end up changing how the story goes by their actions. The plot was supposed to be fairly typical, the characters annoying but occasionally hilarious. Overall, I could see how teen girls may enjoy this book, but for a more mature reader, you'll be rolling your eyes a lot. Especially at the cop-out ending.

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card: a beautiful, funny and exciting modern version of Sleeping Beauty. Lots of Russian history and culture, two brave young lovers, some diabolical villains and juicy details make this a wonderful and satisfying read. I could not ask for a better fairytale retelling. If I don't think too much about the time travel paradoxes, I would say this is one of my favorite books to read for fun. Highly recommended!

(briefly) series that I didn't like very much

The Sharing Knife (Beguilement) by Lois McMaster Bujold: a medieval fantasy novel that started off with a few interesting twists, but the needless character relationship development at the end was gross and wasn't even remotely interesting. I didn't finish this book and am not inspired to read the rest of the trilogy.

Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon by Lisa Goldstein: if you're into historical England, Shakespeare and Faerie, this book is for you. Eerie and poetic, a philosophical fantasy novel about a widowed bookseller fighting to save her son (and world) from Faerie.

Not Exactly the Three Musketeers by Joel Rosenburg: Typical epic fantasy quest with 3 men apparently from our world set into a magical medieval world. Wizards, sorceresses, dragons galore. Funny, action-packed, but definitely adult.

Crimson Shadow: the Sword of Bedwyr by R.A. Salvatore: This fellow was a NY Times best selling author, so I thought I'd check him out and see if he's all that good. Like most male authors, he deals with action and humor quite expertly, though I had trouble liking any of the characters in this trilogy much. The plot and dialogue, even in Luthien's Gamble, seem awfully shallow and Hollywood-esque in comparison to some of the deeper and admittedly more feminine series I prefer.

Prince of the Blood by Raymond Feist: This was another best-seller author that I decided to give a go. Not bad for a typical swords and sorcery novel. I liked the characters and detailed world building, the dialogue was humorous but not too full of itself, the plot sufficiently complicated. But I wasn't particularly interested in what happens in a massive fantasy epic and after reading Shadow of a Dark Queen, it confirmed my apathy towards future huge undertakings, with the exception of Pratchett of course.

Vellum by Hal Duncan: this urban sci-fi/fantasy novel looked very hip and edgy and Neil-Gaiman-esque, but it was a chore to keep up with the changing perspectives and overall felt extremely unpleasant. Deals with an amazing revelation of biblical and spiritual mysteries and gutsy young heroes who must fight the forces of good and evil, all at the same time. I am not the intended demographic, I think.

the CrowThistle Chronicles by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

CrowThistle Chronicles: The Iron Tree by Cecilia Dart-Thornton: Includes the Well of Tears and Weatherwitch. While I admire her style of lush description, they occassionally go over-the-top and it is all I can do to not skip those paragraphs. I do like how she balances her books, with so much description and yet so much action going on, very skillfully paced. These books seem determined to outdo her first trilogy in sadness, despair and doom, but unlike Bitterbynde's vaguely European medieval setting, I find this book more unique and less dependent on familiar mythology. Critics compare her to Tolkien, and like Tolkien she occasionally inserts in lines that make me burst out laughing because they feek so out of place with her lyric style. Again, these books are very dreamy and romantic, with lots of folklore, unique legends and songs to add depth to an already dazzling imaginary world.

I think if you're willing to slog through 10,000 different ways to describe rose-fingered sunsets and verdant grasslands you might enjoy the actual story and characters.

(briefly) young adult series by various authors

You guessed it, more mini-reviews of young adult novels and series! Except for the last two reviews, I wasn't really impressed enough by any of these series to write a separate post.

Elske and Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt: actually rather intriguing books on their own, but I would have to read a whole series about a fantastic medieval world to thoroughly understand the backstory, and well... I wasn't that interested. I remember the books being just barely on this side of boring and political.

Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick: a fairly interesting historical/macabre novel about an orphan and a London magician who makes a deal with the devil or something, but I wasn't tempted to read the rest of the series. It didn't really make any long-lasting impact in my mind.

Water Mirror by Kai Meyer: a captivating book about an orphan girl with a mirror who lives in a Venice-like world inhabited by stone lions and scary mermaids. A short novel that might require reading the rest of the series to find any real plot development.

Blue Girl by Charles de Lint: I didn't finish this book because man, it started off slow and I couldn't get past the second chapter. I like fantasy stories about high school kids, not high school stories about fantasy kids. This author is good, don't get me wrong, but his type of suburban fantasy isn't really my preference.

Levin Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye: It reads like a book written by a sophisticated young Swedish author who doesn't understand American humor but tries anyways. Parts of it are laugh-out-loud funny but most of it's just weird and you laugh because you don't really understand what's going on. The story is fairly typical - teen finds out about supernatural powers and saves the world from mystical evil with help of plucky gel and fantastic mascot sidekicks, but everything else is appreciably strange. Apparently there are more books involved.

Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman: This historical mystery novel is surprisingly witty, concise and dramatic, with cheesy teenage romance and artsy details. Because it takes place in Italy like her other books, it requires a love and knowledge of Italian culture and art to truly appreciate. The major complaint I have for this book is that it seems like an adult mystery hacked and censored for a pre-teen audience. Had it been developed for a more mature reader, it would have been quite entertaining, but I find it choppy and the mystery way too easily solved. I'm sure younger readers will still enjoy this book, though.

Cup of the World and the Widow and the King by John Dickinson: An epic fantasy novel and its sequel about a spirited girl who elopes with a mysterious man who communicates to her through magic. Turns out he wants to conquer the known kingdom and will stop at nothing to do so. Magic and mayhem ensue. The sequel deals with the widowed queen trying to save her young son from a malicious ghost and scheming, ensorceled lords. Lots of people die... I appreciated the sorrowful, legendary tone and its layers of meaning and allegory, but it's not a series I recommend for people who want to feel good after reading something.

(briefly) young adult trilogies by various authors

These trilogies are some of the newer series for young adults and children that I've discovered at my local library. I haven't actually completed a few of these trilogies on account of them not being written or not found or not being intriguing enough for me to finish. In the wake of Rowling's Harry Potter series, there is a surge of amazing stories written for children and teens that would definitely satisfy an older reader. I would recommend Lemony Snicket's dismal 12-volume chronicle of the Baudelaire orphans' tragic adventures, A Series of Unfortunate Events, it is intellectually stimulating while being perfectly depressing.

The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn: Including Dream-maker's Magic and Truth-teller's Tale, a trilogy with mild fantasy elements. In this medieval world, there are humans born with the ability to keep secrets safe, to tell only the truth if asked, and one human with the ability to make dreams come true. A feel-good series, in my opinion. The romance is not overboard, an especially admirable accomplishment in a young adult book, plus the plot threads are strong, uplifting and rustically emotional. I usually hate rustic country novels, but I thought the humanity developed in such close relationships was really rather touching.

the Johnny Maxwell trilogy by Terry Pratchett: I've only read Johnny and the Dead and Only You Can Save Mankind, and have yet to read Johnny and the Bomb. This children's trilogy, one of his older works, is as hilarious and satirical as only Pratchett can be. It can get a bit painful at times, since the premise of the plot is that Johnny, a rather drab but conscientous British boy, must overcome the horrible-ness of the adult world to save lives that ought to be saved.

Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale: This first book of a Victorian thief who transforms himself into a gentleman is just... wow. Adventure and ingenuity and of course, morbid fascination with a criminal given a second chance at life. But I forbid you to read the rest of the trilogy! You may want to know more about Montmorency's adventures, but I found that the plot's interesting-ness declined rapidly with the addition of more characters, who weren't half as cool as the original hero. A terrible waste of a good character, in my opinion. *tears of disappointment*

Monster Blood Tattoo by DM Cornish: A macabre fantasy teen novel about an unfortunate boy who ends up journeying with a monster hunter and you know, develops character and learns about the world. Incredibly well-developed world with unique characters and monsters. It's apparently part of a trilogy, so I have to read more to see if I like the plot much, but it seems well worth the exploration. I also love the drawings the author included - as an "artist," I was genuinely impressed.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini: I am sorry, these are quite possibly the most boring teen fantasy novels I have ever read/heard. Maybe not terrible, just horrifically boring, which is almost terrible. I would say this fantasy trilogy about a boy and his dragon tries too hard to be like Tolkien. Granted, I am being forced to listen to someone narrate it at his own speed, so that may color my opinion. But even if I finished reading the books, I would still think this trilogy too dull and un-revolutionary and so not worth a movie.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is a HUUUGE novel probably longer than all 6 Harry Potter books put together! Starts off extremely boring, but is oh-so-satisfying in the end if you can keep all the plotlines straight. I would describe this book as intellectual, witty, and worth reading if you like British manners, books, Faerie or a delicious combination of above.

It takes place in a magical Napoleonic-era London/Europe and follows two magicians as they try to bring back "true magic" and also counter the malignant forces of Faerie that work on everyone they know. The characters are extremely well-developed if somewhat frustratingly British - think of a wizardly cast of Jane Austen's novels. The footnotes are priceless, not as funny as Pratchett's impertinent ones, but snarky in their own way. Perhaps a lot of the extra Dickinsonian writing could be cut out, but I also feel the novel would lose a lot of its British flavor that way.

The Ladies of Grace-Adieu is a charming anthology of short stories that also take place in this alternate Europe. As a wry counterpoint to Jonathan Strange, it is bitterly amusing and probably more palatable than the monster of the original novel.

The Bitterbynde Trilogy by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

The Bitterbynde Trilogy by Cecilia Dart-Thornton is a beautifully written epic romantic fantasy novel by a talented author. The majority of her writing draw from numerous fairy tales and folk stories. The scope of the fantastic creatures she describes blows my mind, and I used to read encyclopedias of myths and fairy stories for fun. She tends to go Dickinsonian with description, like spending over a page just to describe a person's appearance, but it's elegantly and uniquely written, so I skip it only half the time, hah hah. When the action does happen, it's just breathtaking, full of danger and suspense and tragic romance. The characters are well-developed and complex. The hero/heroine strong, sensible, likeable, but ultimately doomed. And that may very well be the only thing I didn't like about this series. The main story takes place in a very compressed amount of time, with some flashback and some epilogue, so the abrupt ending seems pointless and anti-climactic, even the "happy" alternate ending. But I suppose that makes it all the more artsy and mysterious. My favorite fairytale reference was the Pied Piper of Hamelin, that was... wild, to say the least.

(briefly) various anthologies by various authors

I review various anthologies by various authors! Some of these are collections of works by one author, others are collected from different authors for a particular theme or non-theme as it may be. While my main love is series, I enjoy short stories quite a bit. I feel that they often have more impact than many novels and most series, being so succint and avoiding the trilogy traps or the bane of many a good series that languishes in ennui. My favorite short stories are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries, now that's good classic stuff right there.

The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Windling and Datlow: an anthology of faery short stories, including stuff by Neil Gaiman and people of similar caliber. I like the unusual and edgy takes on typical fairy stories and I love how each one ends on a questioning or haunting note. Which is what I expect out of a good fairy story.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman: an excellent collection of some of his older short stories, mostly urban fantasy, some horror, some fantasy, some sci-fi. They are all written in that inexplicable Gaiman style - dark, humorous, creepy and sexy. Some are more understandable and uhh... less embarrassing than others, but overall I enjoyed this collection.

Looking for Jake by China Mieville: another collection of short stories in the urban fantasy and post-apocalyptic sci-fi realm. I decided to pick this up after reading Unlundun which I really enjoyed. Well, this was not as funny or sexy as Gaiman's anthology, it was mostly downright terrifying. A few stories refer to another book and were harder to follow. This anthology kept me up into the small hours of the night, trying to not imagine the monsters described and failing miserably.

New Magics edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden: a collection of short stories gathered from various famous fantasy authors for young adult readers (so it said.) Includes one of Gaiman's stories in the other collection, as well as Ursula Leguin, Orson Scott Card, Jane Yolen, Emma Bull and other favorites. It has a more adolescent feel, very hip and urban sometimes and brooding at other times. I found it a fast and pleasant (for a given value of pleasance) read overall, esp. since I already read two of the stories.

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut: an anthology of his short stories. I decided to start small because I have ADD, hah hah. Some are sci-fi, others are satire of society, some are funny, others really really sad and disturbing - all well-written. I highly approve of this type of sci-fi, but then again, the first real sci-fi I read was Douglas Adams. Humor takes the edge off of the despair that sci-fi usually engenders in me. My favorite stories are about the computer that learns about love (almost made me cry) and the human chess match (frightening!).

The Birthday of the World and Orsinian Tales by Ursula K. Leguin: I was so affected by Left Hand of Darkness that I decided to branch out and read these short story collections as well. These anthologies draw from the science fiction universe that made her famous, as well as different alternative futures. Her prose is definitely beautiful, but the stories are usually so sad. I like how she can create a rich imagined world with so few words, but I think I'll hold off reading anymore of her works so I don't slit my wrists in despair.

the Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, Poison and Storm Thief by Christopher Wooding

I will be reviewing three of Christopher Wooding's books in this entry. They are all good young adult novels, but they are fairly short. As horror novels go, I find these much scarier than novels written for adults. Perhaps when you view things through a pre-teen or teen perspective, simple things can somehow seem a lot more terrifying.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is an example of fine horror literature for teens. Think of a Victorian era London, with Jack the Ripper allusions and stuff about like, the Illuminati or something. Extremely tense and dramatic, with unusual characters, terrifying monsters and a sufficiently complicated plot that does not patronize younger readers and would engage older readers. The ending was a teensy bit anti-climactic, but overall, a recommended book.

Poison is another horror story, but set in a fantasy world. It follows the adventures of a stubborn girl trying to save her sister from the elves, outwitting monsters both hideous and beautiful along the way. The plot is familiar, but the twists and turns are satisfyingly unusual and delightful (in a morbid sense.) This novel was very accurately described as a dark fairytale for teens. Pee-in-your-pants terrifying.

Storm Thief is Wooding's horror story set in a science fiction world. I feel this novel lacks the polish of the others regarding plot, since the ending is unusually vague and somewhat disappointing. The rest of the novel is chilling enough, deftly handling nightmarish monsters, a cruel government and a thoroughly realized post-apocalyptic future. (I just love sci-fi stories in which people are made into food. That's the best plot device ever. Trust me, you could see that one coming.)

The Goose Girl and the Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is a charming retelling of Grimm's fairytales in novel form. This one deals with a grisly and rather arbitrary tale elegantly and sincerely. I like the little political twist thrown into the plot, which often end up as unnecessary moral lessons in other retellings I've come across. As a young adult novel, there's not much else to say about it, other than it's good.

The Princess Academy, also by Shannon Hale, is an original novel about girls from a village who are sent to be trained as potential brides for the prince. One small girl is able to rescue her town from bandits with her strength and kindness. Very simple and sweet. There may be a sequel, but I have yet to check it out.

There is a series of fairy-tale retellings in short novel format for teen girls, all romantic in nature and under the title "Once Upon a Time...". I've read a couple, both were very nice and neat, let me google the author's names... Okay here we go.

Sunlight and Shadow, by Cameron Dokey, is a retelling of Mozart's opera, the Magic Flute. A lot more forgiving than the original story, very otherworldly but entertainingly confusing and of course, romantic enough for any teenage girl. Or guy... I guess.

Scarlet Moon, by Debbie Viguie, is a very interesting retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. You wouldn't think that there was any romance in such a straightforward fairytale, but there is now! Kinda predictable, but still enjoyable and manages to totally negate the original moral of the story.

The Sundering by Jacqueline Carey

The Sundering by Jacqueline Carey is a vast two-part fantasy epic starting with the Banewreaker and ending with the Godslayer. Imagine someone who read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and has decided to write it from the bad guy's point of view, in this case a cursed warlord who no longer finds happiness among fellow humans and has allied himself with the god of darkness. Like the Lord of the Rings, we got Aragorn, Arwen, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam and Sauron characters, but it is so much sadder when you see things from the orcs and werewolves and dragons and god of darkness' side. The plot is elegantly executed, with good measures of action, drama, self-conflict, a tiny bit of romance (not pr0ny though), and a huge load of tragic mythology. I imagine there was some humor... probably.

About the only complaint I have is one I have with most female writers, and that is unnecessary repetition of the exact same detail over and over again. ("Doughty warrior" was a prime culprit.) Also, I have no idea if this is supposed to be a parody or not, because it clearly is copying Tolkien, although in a serious and tragic manner. This series may be fully appreciated by those familiar with Tolkien's works.

Singer of Souls by Adam Stemple

Singer of Souls by Adam Stemple was really... something different. I was initially fascinated by the fact that this man looks like a country singer, is the son of a famous children's novel author (Jane Yolen) and has previously only written children's songbooks. The dark modern mood will put you in mind of Neil Gaiman and Emma Bull, but overall, it was a disappointment to me. It starts with a young guitarist trying to stay off drugs, going to Scotland with his grandma and making a living singing but eventually running into evil fairies and monsters. I couldn't put the book down until the very end, when the author apparently decided he already spent enough of his genius writing the first 90% of the book and decided to just spew shock-value into the word processor for the rest and completely ruin the tone. I assume there's going to be a sequel, that would be the only thing that makes sense. I recommend reading the first half only and imagining a happy ending for yourself, it just really confused me why the sensitive and brave young hero suddenly turned into an aquadouche. I should probably go check and see if the sequel explains anything...

the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

The Discworld novels are a brilliant and satiric parody of fantasy elements and humanity's foible foibles. If you are even slightly into humor, fantasy, mystery and action and comedic romance, you can't go wrong with Pratchett. Trust me. If for some reason, you did go wrong, then it is you who is wrong, and not Pratchett!

Several of his books can be read alone, although the full impact of characterization and plot can optimally be enjoyed if you read certain arcs in order, namely the Watch arc and perhaps the Witches arc. There are a few novels that I don't enjoy as much as the rest, but I enjoy them far far more than any other series ever written, so that's not saying much.

My personal favorites, which I would review if I could come up with something other than "THIS BOOK IS SO AWESOME!" to say. In no particular order...

1. Soul Music: About sex, drugs and rock and roll. Okay, just rock and roll.
2. The Truth: About Ankh Morpork's newspaper that tells the "truth."
3. Going Postal: About Ankh Morpork's revived postal service.
4. Science of Discworld: About the science of Earth, as explained by the magic of Discworld.
5. The Last Hero: About Cohen the Barbarian, the last hero of Discworld.
6. Men at Arms: About the City Watch's brush with the deadly gonne.
7. Hogfather: About the legendary holiday figure of goodwill and bloodshed.

My favorite characters...
1. Death
2. Librarian (duh)
3. Susan Sto Helit
4. Vetinari
5. Captain Vimes
6. Leonard Da Quirm
7. Moist von Lipwig

Links to visit:
L-space: has more information than you ever wanted to know about Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

Favorite quote of all time - oh wait, maybe not:
"One day I'll be dead and THEN you'll all be sorry."
-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)