I’ve read several Philippa Gregory novels, and typically really enjoy the work she’s put into researching and characterizing the historical and fictional personages that populate her novels. I like that that she focuses on women of ambiguous character with complex motivations and explores them within the context of the time in which the stories are … Review: The White Queen
This was another review request that languished on my to-read pile for a while. Author Rachel Forde contacted me via this blog with a short and sweet introduction and request. According to Amazon, the book was released in early July, and has already earned an accolade: the ePublishing Consortium‘s Writing Award. That last seems a … Review: Lastborn
Ever since I first read Mercedes Lackey’s Elemental Masters and then Five Hundred Kingdoms series, I’ve been fascinated by fractured fairy tales. Only recently, with Kait Nolan’s Red did I even discover another author noodling on that theme. So when Nigel Osner requested that I review his fantasy novel, I had no idea this was … Review: Worldoflegends.com
After a series of read-for-myself days, today I felt honor-bound to pick up the next in my pile of review requests, and opened up Toonopolis: Gemini, by Jeremy Rodden. It’s labeled as young adult/fantasy, so theoretically aligns with a lot of what I’ve been reading. I wasn’t too sure about it from the author’s blurb, since … Review: Toonopolis – Gemini
This final edition of the Percy Jackson adventures in the New Olympian series wouldn’t be complete without the requisite quest. This time the stakes are as high as possible: to save the world as it is. In order to manage this, Percy and his demi-god and half-blood friends have been planning for a year on … Review: The Last Olympian
Closing in on the final installment of the Percy Jackson series, the urgency of the quests and the quick-paced tempo with which Riordan carries his readers through the challenges doesn’t let up. If anything, this was an even faster read with more cliff-hanging elements and more introductions to additional Greek mythological characters. This time, the … Review: The Battle of the Labyrinth
This series really captured my imagination, given the way it merges classical Greek mythology with modern-day life. By the same token, I could say: Another book, another quest. This time, it’s only Percy’s quest unintentionally, as he’s interested in rescuing his friend, while the Oracle has instead given the ostensible goal of the rescue of … Review: The Titan’s Curse
As promised… The second, and shorter, book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. In this one, Percy is coming to terms with his parentage and his abilities… and gets another curveball thrown his direction in his family relationships. As it says on the back cover: Percy will discover a stunning … Review: The Sea of Monsters
I had heard about this book (series, really) a number of times, from several fellow Harry Potter enthusiasts before finally succumbing to the temptation to buy the books. And then it was all I could do not to read every book back-to-back and ignore work and family obligations for a few days. The superficial links … Review: The Lightning Thief
These three, small books fall somewhere in the intersection of artwork and fantasy, and are presented to the reader as a voyeuristic collection of the epistolary connection between Griffin Moss, an artist (independent post card designer) in England, and Sabine Strohem, an artist (stamp illustrator) on a remote island in the South Pacific. It’s something … Review: Griffin and Sabine – an Extraordinary Correspondence
