Showing posts with label Thomas Dunne Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas Dunne Books. Show all posts

Monday, August 14, 2017

Bad Girl Gone by Temple Mathews - Excerpt

Oh, happy Monday, readers! Today I've got a fabulous excerpt for you as part of the blog tour for Temple Mathews latest, Bad Girl Gone. Before I dive into that, however, here's a bit about the book from Goodreads to set the scene:

Sixteen year-old Echo Stone awakens in a cold sweat in a dark room, having no idea where she is or how she got there. But she soon finds out she's in Middle House, an orphanage filled with mysteriously troubled kids.

There's just one problem: she's not an orphan. Her parents are very much alive.

She explains this to everyone, but no one will listen. After befriending a sympathetic (and handsome) boy, Echo is able to escape Middle House and rush home, only to discover it sealed off by crime scene tape and covered in the evidence of a terrible and violent crime. As Echo grapples with this world-shattering information, she spots her parents driving by and rushes to flag them down. Standing in the middle of street, waving her arms to get their attention, her parents' car drives right through her.

She was right. Her parents are alive but she's not.

She's a ghost, just like all the other denizens of Middle House. Desperate to somehow get her life back and reconnect with her still-alive boyfriend, Echo embarks on a quest to solve her own murder. As the list of suspects grows, the quest evolves into a journey of self-discovery in which she learns she wasn't quite the girl she thought she was. In a twist of fate, she's presented with one last chance to reclaim her life and must make a decision which will either haunt her or bless her forever.

If you're still not quite convinced that your bookshelves are begging for a copy of this one, here's a taste to whet your appetite:

Bad Girl Gone
by Temple Mathews

Awakening

When I tried to remember exactly how I came to be lying in the cold black room, my mind couldn’t focus.

I could feel myself slowly climbing upward, clawing my way out of the clutches of a nightmare. This was usually a good feeling, because you knew you were just dreaming, and the nightmare was over. Except this time it wasn’t. My hands felt clammy. I gripped the sheets until I knew my knuckles must be white. Help me, I thought. Somebody please help me.

I had no idea where I was, and for a terrifying second I couldn’t even remember who I was. But then I remembered my name. Echo. Echo Stone. My real name is Eileen. When I was a toddler, I waddled around repeating everything my parents said and they called me “Echo,” and it just stuck.

Remembering my name and how I got it kick-started my brain. I knew who I was. I remembered that I was sixteen years old and lived in Kirkland, Washington, with my mom and dad. It was all coming back to me. Mom was a dentist and Dad taught middle school English. Good, I could remember parts of my life. But I was still in a dark, cold room and had no idea how I got there. I held back a scream, my chest tightening. Don’t lose it, Echo, keep it together, I told myself. Calm down, think good thoughts.

I pictured Andy, my boyfriend. Six feet tall, broad shoul- ders, blue eyes, and long golden-brown hair. He loved to feed me cookie bites and called me his rabbit. I called him Wolfie. Sometimes he got the hiccups for no reason at all and usually laughed them away. Thinking of Andy momentarily made me feel warm inside, even though the room was freezing.

Where was I? I was shivering and yet also bathed in sweat, my skin slick with it. I clutched for my trusty Saint Christo- pher necklace. But it wasn’t there. Mom gave it to me to protect me when I traveled. Would it protect me now? I would never have lost it. The chain must have broken. And then I had an ugly thought. What if someone had ripped it from my neck? I shuddered. Where are you, Andy? I need you!

I opened my eyes as wide as I could. It was pitch black. My pounding heart told me, This isn’t some nightmare—it’s real. I hugged myself and breathed deeply, trying to calm my nerves. My shoulders were tight. I rubbed the sheets beneath me. The ones at home in my bed were soft. These were stiff and coarse. I was somewhere completely and painfully foreign. In my head I was talking to myself in a rapid voice, my fear voice: What is this?—what is this?—what is this?

Someone nearby was crying. I had a knot in my stomach and my throat hurt, like I’d screamed for hours. My head hurt, too, and I guessed I must have fallen, or maybe something heavy fell on me. I explored my scalp, gently at first, then more bravely, moving my fingers, searching for a lump. I found nothing . . . no lump, no holes. My skull was intact, though my long auburn hair felt tangled and greasy. I inhaled through my nose, search- ing for familiar scents. Mom’s cinnamon rolls, Dad’s after- shave. But nothing smelled even vaguely familiar, and the odors that did find my nose were horrible. Smoke. Vinegar. Sulfur.

I reached for my bedside lamp—but my fingers touched something damp and stringy. Oh god. The knot in my stomach tightened and I yanked my hand back. I willed my eyes to ad- just to the dark, but as I blinked, strange pulsing figures leapt out at me. It must have been my mind playing tricks. Right?

I took five good, long breaths, sucking in through my nose and exhaling through my pursed lips, just like my grandma Tilly taught me years ago. But five breaths weren’t enough. So I took ten, and finally my heart rate slowed from a galloping panic to a steady, cautious thudding. Soon I was able to distin- guish shapes. Was that a girl in a bed next to mine? Her hair was impossibly thick and long, spilling down her back. Her sweaty hair. That’s what I must have reached out and touched. My heart returned to its punishing rhythm, a fist clenching and unclenching in my chest. The nearby crying stopped. But then it was replaced by something worse, a ripping sound, like bone being cut by a rusty saw. And then a gurgling . . . followed by a low, feral growling noise. Faraway cackling laughter. What the hell was going on?

I was terrified and breathing so loud I was afraid I’d wake up the sleeping girl. Something told me I should lie still and keep my mouth shut. Stupidly, I ignored it. My voice was raspy, my throat aching . . .

“Mom? Dad?” Nothing. “ANDY?”

The words sounded weak in the stony silence that followed. My ears strained for the comforting sound of my parents’ familiar footsteps—but I was met with more cruel noises drift- ing through the blackness.

I heard a faraway clock ticking and an odd whimpering, and then a cough. But it wasn’t Mom’s or Dad’s cough; it was the cough of a child—a girl, I think. I desperately wanted this to be a nightmare. So I closed my eyes and tried to float back to sleep. But the terrifying sounds continued: the soft, almost melodic crying; the rhythmic, persistent coughing; the howls and metal- lic noises; the rushing water. I couldn’t take it. I opened my eyes again.

“DADDY?”

An echo from the darkness. Distant. Haunting. Mocking.

“Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?”

I sensed something under my bed. The hair on my neck prickled. I imagined dangling my fingers over the side of the mattress, envisioned them being latched onto, bitten by some creature that would drag me down into its fetid pit. I held my breath and listened. There it was. Someone, or something, was breathing beneath me.

I slid to the edge of the bed and then slowly lowered my head, my irises widening. I peered into the shadows—and saw a pair of feral eyes peering back at me. Acid panic flooded my veins as I jerked back, thinking, Please don’t kill me. If you touch me, my boyfriend will hunt you down and beat the living shit out of you!

I heard a rustling sound, then footsteps. I saw the creature leap out from under my bed. Its eyes found me, then it scam- pered out of the room, on two legs I think, a flash of white. It looked human, but it could have been something else. What- ever it was, thank god it was running from me. Or wait! Maybe it was going to gather more of its kind and they’d come back for me in a pack. My skin crawled. Get out!

I couldn’t stay in this room. I had to get up and move. My bare feet hit the cold, wood plank floor. I took tentative steps into the shadows. A floorboard creaked beneath my feet and I froze. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I could make out shapes. Up ahead I saw a shallow pool of light. I moved toward it.

I walked slowly, taking tentative steps, my eyes darting back and forth. The hallway felt like a perfect place for an ambush, so I was alert, my muscles taut.

I passed a closed door on my right, another on my left. I caught a scent of smoke. I heard a splashing sound, as if some- one was taking a bath right above my head. I kept my gaze fixed on the pool of light that was spilling out from under a large door at the end of the hallway. As I drew closer, I could see that the door was built from thick oak planks and looked like it weighed a thousand pounds. On it hung a thick brass ring. On my right was a tall, old grandfather clock, ticking away like a metronome but with no hands to tell time with. It made me afraid and angry. What was I doing in a place with a clock with no hands?

I stepped closer to the thick door. My stomach tightened in fear. Something was terribly wrong. I was lost, adrift, not only in the wrong place, but I felt as though somehow I was the wrong me. I was jolted by a terrible thought. What if I never saw Andy again?

I raised my hand to grasp the knocker but stopped. Because I felt someone behind me.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” said a voice, barely above a whisper.

I turned and saw a slight boy, thin as a reed with long, snowy hair, eating a red candy apple. The hair on the nape of my neck rose.

“Wow. You’re a pretty one,” he said.

I might have blushed. I’d never thought of myself as pretty. My nose is crooked, and ever since someone told me my eyes were too far apart, I’ve been convinced of it.

“Want a bite?” he asked, holding out the apple. 

Bad Girl Gone hit shelves last week and is available wherever books are sold!


Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Liesl grew up on tales of the Goblin King. Tales spun by her grandmother and built on an old system of beliefs Leisl's own parents have long snubbed. 

But when Liesl's own sister is taken by the Goblin King himself, she realizes the tales are all too true. Now it's up to her to sacrifice everything to save her beloved sister. But how can she outwit the ultimate trickster, much less one intent on finding and keeping a bride?

S. Jae-Jones combines elements of Labyrinth and the Persephone myth in her masterfully unique debut. But she turns both on their heads, basing it in an actual historical setting - well an actual historical setting for the pieces that take place in the "real" world, that is. And it's pretty cool, as well. Steeped in historical Austrian culture and music, the story makes use of folklore with a definite David Bowie leaning.

Liesl is the daughter of husband and wife innkeepers/musicians. But her father has long given over his own talent in lieu of the bottom of a bottle. Now the family fame and fortune rests squarely on the shoulders of Liesl's little brother, who is set to audition for a musician of extraordinary talent.

But Liesl has her own musical aspirations. Aspirations she keeps under lock and key and secret from everyone except her brother. Her hidden talents are what the Goblin King thirsts after. As it turns out (we learn in the prologue but it takes Liesl some time to remember), Liesl has known the Goblin King since she was a child.

But the Goblin King is a trickster. Liesl is the one he wants, but takes her sister as bait.

The imagery in Wintersong is amazing! The Underworld is at once beautiful and creepy, as evidence by the far away vs close looks at the decorations in Liesl's own chambers there. And again, the Goblin King is a trickster. But he allows Liesl herself to see the truth of things, increasing the horrors of the world tenfold.

For someone who grew up watching Labyrinth, the idea of a sort of Labyrinth retelling is awesomely appealing, but with understandable reservations. Readers, I have to say that S. Jae-Jones does the world and the legend justice, all the while making it 100% her own!

Wintersong is chillingly cool with just the right blend of dark fantasy and steamy romance to appeal to a broad audience. It doesn't officially hit shelves until next week, but trust me you'll want to hit your local bookstore that day to snatch up a copy!

For more on S. Jae-Jones and Wintersong, be sure to check out her website - especially this post about the origins of Wintersong.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Certain Dark Things by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Oh man, oh man, oh man! Readers, I absolutely adore those reading days when everything comes into perfect alignment. When a topic you've been dying to read about just happens to be the topic of your next planned read and the writing is amazing and the story is the kind you don't want to put down no matter what else might be going on. That's what happened with Sylvia Moreno-Garcia's Certain Dark Things.

There are no vampires in Mexico City. There haven't been for quite some time. And yet, when Domingo meets Atl, he discovers this isn't quite true. 

Atl has been orphaned thanks to an all out war with a rival vampire family. And she's come to Mexico City in search of something - alone. When she crosses paths with young Domingo, she plans only to pay him for a night of blood. But Domingo has other ideas. 

Meanwhile, Nick Godoy has followed Atl to Mexico City, intent on killing her. But Nick is a loose canon, impossible to control and guaranteed to draw attention to the presence of vampires in the city. Which is exactly what he does and exactly how Ana Aguirre ends up on the hunt. And she's not the only one. 

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia has kind of flipped the vampire genre on its head here, combining Aztec and other lore to create a world with ten different kinds of vampires. And in this world, the vampires have become drug lords - warring against one another and human gangs as well.

Humans control Mexico City and so when they catch wind that the vampires have arrived, it's in their best interests to nip it in the bud as soon as possible. But Ana Aguirre, who came to Mexico City to get away from vamps, isn't sure she wants to align herself with gangs of any kind. This in spite of the fact that even though she's a. a cop and b. a cop with experience hunting vampires, she definitely isn't getting the support she needs from her department.

And then there's Atl and Domingo. Atl is twenty-three, a baby in vampire years. Her family are descended from some of the very first vampires in the world and can live for centuries. She's also a second daughter, which means she was allowed to run around spoiled. But now she's alone. All alone. And in a moment of weakness, she decides to take Domingo on as her companion - her Renfield. Which is cool with Domingo! An orphan himself, kicked out of his home when he was just thirteen, Domingo longs for a friend and is immediately smitten by Atl. Their bond only makes him that much more determined to do whatever he can to help her in her mission.

Drug wars, vampires, Mexico City and a smidge of history besides, and all set in the very near future, Certain Dark Things is a fabulous read. Fabulous! And highly original! And definitely one I'm recommending to EVERYONE!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston + a Giveaway

It's been a busy release year for Paula Brackston, readers. First we had the release of The Silver Witch back in April, then there was the US release of the first two Brothers Grimm mysteries (Gretel and the Case of the Missing Frog Prints in January and Once Upon a Crime in June. Note this series is published under Brackston's pseudonym, P.J. Brackston.), and now we have the print release of Brackston's Lamp Black, Wolf Grey hitting shelves tomorrow. If you enjoy Brackston's Witch books, you're going to love Lamp Black, Wolf Grey and if you haven't read her before, now's a great time to start. Thanks to the publisher I have two copies to offer up for you, readers. Be sure to scroll to the Rafflecopter at the end of this review to enter.

Laura and Dan have decided to pack up and leave London for a quieter life in Wales. They've found the perfect house - well, Laura has found the perfect house and Dan is warming to it - with fantastic views and enough space for Laura's studio. Best of all, it offers exactly the kind of peace and quiet Laura is looking for. She hopes that leaving behind the bustle of the big city will give the couple what they've hoped for for so long now - a chance to start a family. 

But Laura's new Welsh hideaway offers more than r&r for the artist. The house and the surrounding area are imbued with a tantalizing air of mystery. Laura feels things in the house and has seen a strange man wandering the area nearby. It's no wonder, then, when she discovers the area is steeped in legend, including a link to Merlin himself. And then there's Rhys, the nearest neighbor. With Dan in the city during the week for work, Laura finds it increasingly difficult to resist Rhys's charm. 

This latest release from Brackston is wickedly tantalizing. Who can resist the promise of Welsh mythology and Merlin, much less the promise of a forbidden temptation? Trust me when I say that Brackston delivers on all counts!

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey is a dual narrative - Laura, Dan, and Rhys are just half the story. The other part is given over to Megan, nursemaid to the two sons of Lord Geraint, during Merlin's pre-Arthur days. Megan's fate is not a pleasant one, something we learn quite quickly considering the prologue is part of her story.

Both of Brackston's heroines are captivating: Laura's battle between love and desire, Megan's tentative position in her own time and her growing affection for Merlin are just a tiny smidge of their stories. But what I absolutely adored was the folklore! Merlin and any connection to Arthurian legend pretty much always win me over every time, and though there's very little of the latter (this does take place before Merlin meets Arthur, after all) there's plenty of Welsh lore woven into the story to satisfy any folklore fanatic. It's also a pretty steamy read, the kind you definitely don't want to put down!

Rating: 4/5

(Lamp Black, Wolf Grey is officially out on shelves tomorrow.)

And now for the giveaway. Again, there are two copies up for grabs this time. To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below before August 17, easy peasy. Open US only and no PO boxes.

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Three Rivers by Tiffany Quay Tyson + a Giveaway

Melody's father is dying, so of course she drops everything to return home to care for him. But when she arrives she finds that her mother has left with no explanation. Geneva has been hiding a secret from her family and has finally come to the conclusion that something must be done. What that something is, she isn't quite sure just yet but she knows she can't stay. All Obi wants is to care and provide for his son, but a tragic accident has left him on the run and in search of shelter. It's a search that will lead him straight to Melody, Geneva, and Three Rivers Farm. Though these three people are all on very different paths, they are nonetheless entwined by fate. And with an historic storm headed straight towards them, they could each find themselves swept under by the force of the coming flood. 

I'm afraid that my synopsis doesn't do Tiffany Quay Tyson's book justice. It doesn't contain any of the charm or emotion of the story, for example. Nor does it capture the heart or essence of the characters in any way. It doesn't even express how emotional a read Three Rivers is or how much I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What I do hope that it does, though, is get your attention. I hope that it makes you curious about Three Rivers. And of course I hope that it makes you seek out Tiffany's book and discover just how fabulous it is for yourself.

Tiffany is local to me and so I was able to attend her launch at the Tattered Cover last week. I learned that this story had it's beginning in a terrible story about a baptism that ended in electrocution and death. It was apparently a story that stuck with the author for quite some time and inspired a character and scene in the final book. And while it is a pivotal scene for Melody and her family, it is just a small part of the overall tale.

At times Three Rivers reads as three separate stories. Melody, her mother Geneva, and Obi all begin in different places both in terms of setting and in terms of what's happening in their lives. Melody has been traveling with a band and has been miserable for most of the tour (she snaps in the beginning of the book and it made me love her so!). She and Geneva haven't spoken much and she hasn't visited home for quite some time, so she isn't aware that her mother has left until she arrives home.

Geneva is probably not going to win a lot of points with readers. She's... selfish and quite self centered. That's apparent almost from the moment the reader meets her, or rather learns that she's abandoned her dying husband and her mentally impaired son. And yet her story is undeniably intriguing.

Melody and Geneva couldn't be further from Obi. He's a loving father who finds it hard to fit into conventional settings and society. He and his son have been abandoned themselves and have been living off the land, traveling along the river. We soon learn, though, that Obi is seemingly a man cursed by his circumstances and bad luck.

Through alternating chapters, Tiffany draws all three characters and their stories closer and closer, eventually weaving them together much the way the three rivers of the title intersect in the fictional Mississippi town Tiffany has created for her story.

Three Rivers is the kind of book that's gut wrenching at times and laugh out loud funny at others. It's thoughtful and heartwarming, and a true testament to Tiffany Quay Tyson's talent. Readers, she is an author you will delight in discovering and one that I know we'll be looking forward to reading more of for some time to come!

And now, because I was able to attend the book launch, I thought it would be fun to give away a finished, autographed copy to one of you lucky readers! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, August 10. Open US only.

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth + a Giveaway

If you've been following the blog for a while then you might remember how excited I was about Kate Forsyth's Rapunzel retelling, Bitter Greens. And now she's back with the story of Wilhelm Grimm and his wife Dortchen. Thanks to the publisher, I get to offer up a copy to one of you lucky readers. Be sure to scroll through to the Rafflecopter to enter.

Dortchen knew she was in love with Wilhelm Grimm the first time she laid eyes on him. For years, they danced around one another, drawn together by undeniable affection. Sadly, though, Dortchen's own father was against the match and his death didn't make marrying any more of an option. With war surrounding them, the two persevered, living through poverty and French rule. And as Wilhelm and his brother strove to collect and preserve the stories that were their country's legacy, Dortchen and Wilhelm's love for one another never faded. 

We've all heard of Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. We all know the stories they collected and compiled. But where did those stories come from? Turns out many of them came from Wilhelm's wife and other women like her. Kate Forsyth imagines their years together as a bit of a fairy tale in its own right, drawing from actual historical documents and the earliest printings of the Grimm brothers' stories to bring Dortchen to life for today's readers.

What I love about Forsyth's work is that she's incorporating real history with fairy tales. As was the case with Bitter Greens, her Rapunzel retelling, The Wild Girl combines the history of the era and the documented history of the Brothers Grimm and those around them, to weave together an enthralling tale with a very real backdrop. And though this is less a fairy tale retelling than an all out biographic fiction, it does still have that hint of wonderment we all love about the Grimm tales.

As she points out, much of Dortchen's life is unknown so there's understandably a lot of imagining and reimagining here. What is known, though, is that Dortchen shared some of the most famous Grimm tales with the brothers ("Rumpelstiltskin" and "Hänsel and Gretel," for example) and that Wilhelm and Dortchen did eventually marry. Wilhelm's longtime affection for Dortchen is documented as well. Pairing all of that with the historical happenings around them (Bonaparte's campaign to defeat EVERYTHING and his rule of Hesse-Cassel) makes for a great foundation, but it's Forsyth's true skill as a storyteller that makes this a stand out read.

Fans of historical fiction and fairy tale retellings alike will devour The Wild Girl - and will love every moment of it!

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, August 3. Open US only and no PO boxes please.

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

Grace has run all the way to Korea to get away from her family. Sure, it means senior year in a foreign country where she doesn't know the language or the culture, but anything is better than one more hour spent arguing with her mother. 

The Tennesseean makes fast friends with her new roommate, Sophie, but Sophie's twin, Jason, not so much. He's hot. Really hot. And famous. But Grace has been around fame all her life and none of it erases the fact that he's basically a jerk. Until she gets to know him a little better. As her feelings grow for Jason, though, Grace finds herself worrying that she's being caught once again in a cycle she's tried so hard to escape. 

Katie M. Stout's debut is a fresh and fun look at romance and music. But it's more than that as well. Grace is running from some serious family drama - drama she's not ready to confront. All the while she's also fighting regular teen hormones, academic stress, and trying to make her way in a new country.

I loved how much Grace grows throughout the story. At first she's very critical of everything around her, comparing it to home and to her own experience in the music industry. That's not even the half of it considering the baggage she's carrying around with her. As the story progresses, though, she opens herself up to the experience more and more.

Grace is fortunate in that she finds a such good friend in Sophie. Sophie not only shows her the ropes on campus but shares the nearby sites, giving Grace the opportunity to truly experience this new world. Through Sophie - and the Eden members - Stout gives readers the chance to experience South Korea as well. The markets, the KPOP scene, the food... it's a world I doubt many of us have experienced first hand but Stout does it credit.

Of course a big part of the story is her relationship with Jason, which I found progressed quite nicely. Some of Grace's flip flopping towards him was a bit heavy handed, but that's more likely the result of my being further removed from being a teen. I do recall it ALL BEING SO DRAMATIC!

Rating: 4/5

This is a Hello, I Love You twofer day, btw, so don't forget to head over to today's other post to read an excerpt and enter to win your very own copy!



Saturday, December 27, 2014

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen

I came across this one in the upcoming St. Martins Press/Thomas Dunne catalog and immediately added it to my 2015 wish list. Aside from the fact that The Telegraph apparently called this "Twin Peaks meets the Brothers Grimm" the synopsis itself is quite intriguing.

Here's a bit about the book from Goodreads:

Only nine people have ever been chosen by renowned children’s author Laura White to join the Rabbit Back Literature Society, an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: a young literature teacher named Ella. 

Soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual known as "The Game"? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura White’s winter party? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, as Ella explores the Society and its history, disturbing secrets that had been buried for years start to come to light. . . .

According to his bio online, Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen is a Finnish author and teacher with a fondness for vampires :) The Rabbit Back Literature Society is his first novel - originally released back in 2006 - so it's taken some time but we finally get to read it here in the States next January! (Pushkin released it in the UK last year.)

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Deadly Little Sins by Kara Taylor

Anne has managed to stay mum on the murder of Wheatley alum Travis Shepherd all summer, but the disappearance of her favorite teacher is another matter. Of course, finding out what happened to Ms. Cross is tough considering Anne's been a. ousted from Wheatley, b. permanently grounded, and c. under constant parental supervision. All of that changes, though, when the Wheatley powers that be announce that they've decided not to expel Anne. 

Anne is well aware that her digging will need to be even more hush hush this time around. Unfortunately, another Wheatley teacher is found murdered and Anne realizes that her little investigation has once again turned deadly serious.

Sooo I'd hoped - and expected, based on Prep School Confidential and Wicked Little Secrets - that Deadly Little Sins would tie in more with the previous two. Instead, this third installment may have jumped the shark more than even I can bear. 

But wait, of course it ties in because it's Anne and it's Wheatley. Yes, that's true. But with the previous two, the mysteries are tied together by more than just the protagonist and the setting. There's a core group of suspects and baddies that have a very clear connection to both plots. Had that again been the case with this third title the plot would have been wholly more believable! And there is a bit of a link to the... issues of the previous two, but overall this one just feels like Wheatley is an unfortunate Sunnydale type magnet for crazies and killers. And Anne is the only one who notices. 

Less shark-y is the actual wrap up in Deadly Little Sins. Some might find Anne's potential career choice just a bit too convenient or twee but I thought it was quite fun. It is actually along the lines of what I'd expect Anne to do post high school. I can't say that I loved the open ending as much, though. I'm not sure if there are plans to take Anne further with future books (something I wouldn't be opposed to) but it felt a little too obvious that that was the hope or intention. It left me feeling like there was still something to be addressed where there really shouldn't have been.

So a meh, on the fence result with the trilogy tie up. Deadly Little Sins is fun for fun sake but not as fabulous as the previous two. 

Rating: 3/5

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Wicked Little Secrets by Kara Taylor

Readers, I'm facing a real dilemma this week. I have time off! This means I have an ample amount of time to read. Why is this a problem, you might ask? Because it means I have to pick what to read - and I have lots to choose from!

Considering I have a ton of series and trilogies partially started and unfinished currently waiting in my TBR, I decided one of those would be a good place to start. Kara Taylor's Prep School Confidential was quite a pleasant surprise last year. It was well plotted and featured a cast of characters that I kind of adored. And yet, when Wicked Little Secrets and then Deadly Little Sins released in March and August (respectively) I didn't immediately devour them. Ugh. I hate when I do that.

Wicked Little Secrets picks up immediately after Prep School Confidential. Having solved the mystery of her roommate's murder, Anne finds herself now focused on that of Matt Weaver. He's a legend at Wheatley Prep and - before her murder - Isabella had been digging up dirt on his disappearance. Anne's discovery of a crew team picture with the words "they killed him" penned on the back is enough to pique her curiosity. Learning that her boyfriend's father could have been involved in the decades-old missing persons case causes tension in Anne's budding relationship and her tendency to poke her nose into sticky situations soon lands her in hot water... again.

While the relationship issues/love triangle do get a bit more heavy handed in this second of the trilogy, overall it's a perfect follow up to such a fabulously fun kick off!

I love these books because Anne is so feisty and stubborn. And I like that Anne's not a typical outsider looking in or unpopular girl, as one would probably expect with a boarding school setting. She's amongst her peers, she has good friends, and she's reasonably well adjusted. In other words, she's a pretty normal, average teen. She's just a bit of a troublemaker. Or it might be better stated that she's often caught getting in trouble.

These are also fun because the mysteries themselves are so well thought out and believable. Anne has to go to class. She has to pass tests. She does get caught sneaking out. She is limited by her age and she does have to rely on outside - adult - help (i.e. the cops). Taylor manages to do all of this without getting overly cheesy or contrived.

I'll be jumping into the third and final title shortly - both to avoid my usual procrastination in completing series and to see what's up with the big reveal Taylor dropped on her character at the end of Wicked Little Secrets.

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen

As promised in yesterday's post, I have a follow up review on Lisa Jensen's Alias Hook for you today!

Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan and Neverland - "second star to the right, and straight on till morning" and all of that. And in all the various tellings of the tale there is Captain Hook, the nefarious pirate and sworn enemy of the flying boy. 

But as the saying goes there are two sides to every story and now Hook has been given a chance to tell his.

Ooh, this book was irresistible to me as a reader. Though I have to confess something horrible - I've still never read J.M. Barrie's stories. I know, I know! As a proclaimed Peter Pan fan, it's truly awful! I do have an old copy (a 1950's edition hardcover, illustrated by Nora Unwin) and of course I was raised on the Disney version. Let's not forget Hook either! But I know it's still shameful of a bookworm to admit having not actually read the book they claim to be so fond of. I've got it off my chest, though, and the book IS in the TBR (along with Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's Peter and the Starcatchers).

But still, I do love the story and immediately had to read Alias Hook when it popped up on the soon to be released lists.

I really liked Jensen's approach with Hook. Rather than the looming baddie, he has a story and a history. He's James Benjamin Hookbridge, the son of a sugar cane plantation owner. James never wanted to live up to the expectations society placed on him and eventually set off to sea to make his name as a hero in the war against France. Unfortunately for him things didn't quite work out that way.

This Hook is somewhat forced into his circumstances both by things beyond his control and by a series of bad decisions, too. After 200 years in Neverland with an ever rotating crew and endless battles with Pan, this Hook is tired of the life. But his curse keeps him trapped until the end of time - or so he thinks. It's the arrival of a woman that begins to turn things around for him, and that's when things get REALLY interesting!

Obviously I can't compare to the "real" Peter Pan mythology having - sadly - still not read the original tale, but I did love Jensen's twists on the story: the Wendys, the truth about the Lost Boys, and Pan as a not quite so great guy here.

Alias Hook is a fun and clever follow up to the classic tale, one I think the kid in all of us can appreciate. (But don't confuse this for a kid's book.)

Rating: 4/5

Don't forget, I'm giving away a copy of Alias Hook. You can enter via the Rafflecopter on yesterday's post.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen - Excerpt and Giveaway

Oh, I am so stoked about today's post! Today marks the release of Lisa Jensen's Alias Hook, a Peter Pan retelling - squee! I'll have a review up for you tomorrow but today I've got an excerpt and giveaway.

First, here's the synopsis from the publisher - just to get you warmed up:

“Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile who drags him down to a watery grave. But it was not yet my time to die. It’s my fate to be trapped here forever…”

Meet Captain Hook, a witty, educated pirate captain cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. Everything changes, however, with the arrival of Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, who dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan’s rules. From the glamour of the Fairy Revels, to the secret ceremonies of the First Tribes, to the mysterious underwater temple beneath the Mermaid Lagoon, the magical forces of the Neverland open up for Stella as they never have for Hook. And in the pirate captain himself, she begins to see someone far more complex than the storybook villain.

With Stella’s knowledge of folk and fairy tales, she might be Hook’s last chance for redemption and release, that is if they can break his curse before Pan and his warrior boys hunt Stella down and drag Hook back to partake in their neverending game.

I kind of lurve Peter Pan (pretty obvious since I'm so excited about this book)!

PRELUDE

Him Or Me

Every child knows how the story ends. The wicked pirate captain is flung overboard, caught in the jaws of the monster crocodile, which drags him down to a watery grave. Who could guess that below the water, the great beast would spew me out with a belch and a wink of its horned, livid eye? It was not yet my time to die, not then nor any other time. It’s my fate to be trapped here forever in a nightmare of childhood fancy with that infernal, eternal boy.

No one knows what came next, the part you never read about in the stories. I clawed through water bloodied by the corpses of my crew driven overboard to make a meal for the sharks, flailed for the hull of my ship before the sharks caught up to me.

I saw it all by moonrise as I hooked my way up the chains to the deck. One of my men lay asprawl on the hatch coaming, dead eyes staring at the moon, curled fingers frozen over his ruptured belly. Another had dragged himself a few paces toward the rail before he expired, leaving a smear of fresh blood on the deck that could never be stained red enough to disguise it. Half a dozen others lay about in shadowy heaps, limbs twisted, faces ghastly, silent as waxworks. Everything stank of blood and decay. One man was draped face down over the foredeck rail, arrows sprouting from his back. The redskins were teaching the boys archery, as if they needed any more advantage over us in battle. None of the dead were boys.

Those who’d gone over the side screamed no more. The ship’s bell, rung when the battle commenced, tolled no more. Even the monstrous ticking had subsided. My ship was as silent as the tomb she had become. The boys had gone larking off again, but not in my ship; all of the fairies’ black arts could not raise my Jolie Rouge out of her moldering berth in the bay. Solemn drumbeats from the island told me the Indians were collecting their dead from our skirmish in the wood, but none were left to mourn my men but me.

I started for the nearest body, to drag it to the ship’s boat, but as I passed the deckhouse, something groaned within. The deckhouse. That’s where he’d hidden to lure us into his trap.

I shoved open the door, peered into the reeking gloom. Jukes I recognized by the sprawl of his tattoos in the ghostly moonlight. The Italian lay nearby, face frozen in an eternal scream. I crept in across sticky planks toward a soft grumble of pain, a sudden seizure of breath. My fingers touched still-living flesh, and Jukes groaned again. There was a new hieroglyph on his naked chest, thrust in with less art than the rest, and still leaking red. I knelt in the puddle, worked my hook arm round his back and propped him up. Heavy as a corpse already, yet his head lolled back on my arm and his dull eyes opened to look at me.

One. The boy had left me only one.

“Well, Bill.” I could scarcely steady my voice.

“Sorry, Cap’n,” he lisped through the blood in his mouth. “He come at me in the dark.”

“Don’t talk,” I cautioned, yet I was desperate for the comfort of his voice. We’d sailed together since New Providence; his pictographic skin was a living gallery of our exploits from the Indies to the Gold Coast. He was the closest thing I’d ever had to a friend in the pirate trade. “Save your strength.”

But it was already too late. We both knew it. The boy hadn’t even done it proper; life was escaping in an agonizing drip, not a clean burst.

Jukes dragged another tortured breath out of his ruined lungs. “Thought you was done for,” he wheezed.

“Come, now, you know me better than that.” I clenched my teeth in assumed heartiness. “No mere boy is a match for me.”

A furtive smile glimmered briefly amid the blue and black dots and calligraphic swirls on his face. I could see what even so slight a movement cost him in misery. There was only one way to help him now, could I but steel myself to do it.

“The women are warm in Hell, eh, Cap’n?” he prompted me.

“Save me a place at the Devil’s mess,” I answered by rote, summoning every ounce of my resolve.

Red bubbled between his teeth. “Aye, aye—”

His eyes bulged for an instant, whites agleam in the shadows, then the lids drooped in relief. “Thank’ee, Cap’n,” wafted out on his last breath, as I extracted my knife from between his ribs.

Gone, all of them gone now. Slaughtered one by one, like a game. It’s all a game to the boys.

I stretched Jukes out beside the twisted Italian, sat back on my heels, forced my brain to think on practical matters. Two or three trips in the gig it would take to see them all properly consigned to deep water. The eerie, animal keening of the loreleis singing to the moon rose up across the water, cold and tormenting. I was the last human left alive in the Bay of Neverland.

The Neverland, they call it, the infant paradise, the puerile Eden where grown-ups dare not tread. They are wise to fear it. But all children visit in their dreams. He finds them by their longing, stray boys for his tribe and girls to tell him stories.

They are not always English children, although he is partial to London. They have erected a statue to him there. Fancy, a public statue of Pan, the boy tyrant in his motley of leaves, like a king or a hero. While Hook is reviled, the evil pirate, the villain. There is no statue to me.

I’ve heard all the stories. I know the world thinks me not only a simpering fop but a great coward, so affrighted by the crocodile I would empty my bowels at the first sinister tick of its clock. But it’s the ticking itself I can’t bear, the tolling of the minutes, the very seconds, that I am forced to spend in the Neverland for all eternity. Elsewhere, time is passing in the normal way, but not here. Not for me and the boy.

“It’s Hook or me this time,” the boy jeered as the massacre began. But it’s never him. And it’s never me. Since then, he has defeated me innumerable times, but never quite to the death. He wills it so, and his will rules all. How often have I felt my skin pierced, imagined in my wounded delirium that Death has relented and come for me at last? Yet every time, my blood stops leaking, my flesh knits. Sooner or later, my eyes open again to yet another bleak new day, with nothing to show for my pains but another scar on the wreckage of my body.

Is it any wonder I so often tried to kill him? Would not his death break the enchantment of this awful place and release us both? But I can never best him. He flies. He has youth and innocence on his side, and the heartlessness that comes with them. I have only heartlessness, and it is never, ever enough.

Outside the deckhouse, the night had gone dark. I crept out again, still drenched in Bill Jukes’ blood, and saw that the moon itself, so full and white an hour before, had turned red, as if she too were awash in blood. A red eclipse, as mariners say, but never before had I seen the shadow of the old world fall across the Neverland moon. Perhaps it was only a trick of my fevered imagination, or some monstrous reflection from the deck of the Rouge, yet it glared down on me like a bloodshot eye, catching me out in all my crimes.

Once, I thought I could never have enough of blood. It was all that could satisfy me, for so long. But it wearies me now, the tyranny of blood-lust, the serpent that feeds on itself. The game that never changes. The game that never ends.

“How long can you stay angry at the world?” she asked me once. Why didn’t I listen?

Tell me you are not dying to read this book immediately?!

As I mentioned above, thanks to the publisher I have a copy to offer up to one of you lucky readers! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, July 21. US only and no PO boxes please.


Saturday, June 7, 2014

Pre Pub Book Buzz: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

I don't ever want to get tired of fairy tale retellings. I love them! The more unique the better :) Kate Forsyth's Bitter Greens (a play on Rapunzel) is just one of many new retellings and it looks completely amazing. I can't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy.

Here's the description from Goodreads for you:

Charlotte-Rose de la Force has been banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, after a series of scandalous love affairs. She is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...

After Margherita's father steals from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife give away their little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. Selena is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.

Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.

This one doesn't hit shelves here in the States until September 23 but if you're lucky enough to live in Forsyth's native Australia it has been out for some time (along with a couple of others by Forsyth that I hope will hit shelves here before too long).

Monday, March 24, 2014

The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm super stoked to be taking part in the tour for Paula Brackston's latest, The Midnight Witch!

When the sixth Duke of Radnor dies, his son, Freddie, inherits his title. But it is his daughter, Lady Lilith Montgomery, who inherits a role of much greater importance - she is to take her father's place as Head Witch of the Lazarus Coven. And as head of the coven, Lilith is also responsible for maintaining the coven's biggest secret: the Elixer, which has been sought after for generations by a group called the Sentinels. Now, one man will stop at nothing to bring down Lilith's family and the Lazarus Coven all in an attempt to finally lay hands on the Elixer. 

The author's careful attention to detail is, as always, just one of the highlights of her books. The time period and the London setting - as well as Lilith's family and their role in society (which of course presents even more delicious intrigue what with the coven being a secret and all) - all lend credibility to a tale in which covens apparently thrive throughout early twentieth-century London.

And while I didn't reference the romance aspect in the synopsis, it is definitely a huge part of the story. Lilith is engaged to another witch, one whose place in society and in the coven is on par with her own, so of course it's an acceptable and expected match. But when she meets an artist newly arrived in town and taken under the wing of another Lazarus member, she is drawn to him in ways that she cannot deny.

Brackston's latest is a richly woven tale of high society, necromancy, and romance!

I've got lots of extras for you guys including an excerpt:




I've linked to the author's website above but here are a few more links to check out: Paula's Facebook page (where you can find quizzes and polls and such) and Paula's Wattpad page (where you can find more excerpts and her recently serial novel, Lamp Black), and of course I've got the giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher I'm able to offer up two copies of The Midnight Witch for giveaway today. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, April 7. US only and no PO boxes please.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, February 21, 2014

Girl on the Golden Coin by Marci Jefferson + a Giveaway

Hi, readers! Today I'm pleased to be part of the blog tour for Marci Jefferson's debut, Girl on the Golden Coin. And thanks to the publisher I'm able to offer up a giveaway copy to one lucky winner - be sure to read to the end to enter.

In turning down France's Kind Louis XIV, Frances Stuart unwittingly became a pawn in political scheming and manipulation. If he couldn't have her as his lover, then Louis XIV would have her as his ambassador in England. Frances is to seduce Charles II in order to depose his current mistress and become the woman behind the throne, influencing his decisions in favor of France as well as his own mother, who hopes that the king will bring England back to the Catholic faith. But Frances was never meant to actually love the king. 

Whew! I think as more and more historical fiction set around the English monarchy is released - beyond King Henry VIII, that is - I've come to realize that I know next to nothing about any of them other than King Henry VIII! I'm gleaning bits and pieces along the way, though.

Marci Jefferson's debut focuses on Frances Stuart in the years after her cousin, Charles II, was restored to the throne - her part of the story from 1661 to 1688 to be exact. When we first meet her, she is looking back on her life, about to begin telling her story to her niece, Anne. We jump to 1661 when her cousin, sister to Charles II, is set to be married off to France's Louis XIV's younger brother. The cousins, Frances and Henriette Anne, are best friends until the king himself comes between them. But the young Frances longs to be true to her cousin and refuses the king's advances in spite of becoming a bit infatuated with him.

Unfortunately for Frances the combination of having spurned such a powerful man, angering her cousin, and the dawning realization that her family possesses at least one secret that should never be revealed to the court means that she is mercy to the whims and fancies of the two royal families - France and England. And the real issue for Frances is balancing the wishes of those whose favor she needs as well as her own family (which are at times at odds with one another), avoiding almost unavoidable scandal, and staying true to herself at the same time. It must have been exhausting to be her!

Jefferson's tale is definitely not dry or boring. This historical fiction is chock full of political machinations and debauchery! It doesn't help that history shows both Charles II and Louis XIV to be rampant womanizers. (Wait, that seems to be most of the kings as a whole.) And the Frances that's brought to life here is warm and charming as well as clever. Fans of historical fiction should take note as I hope this is the first of many such titles we'll see from Jefferson.

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway. To enter just fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, March 10. US only and no PO Boxes please.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


For more on Marci and the book as well as guest posts and additional chances to win a copy be sure to visit the rest of the tour:
1/29 – giveaway, Devourer of Books: http://www.devourerofbooks.com/
1/31 – interview/giveaway, Literary, etc: http://literaryetc.com/
2/1 – review, A Bookish Libraria: http://abookishlibraria.blogspot.com/
2/3 – review, The Bookish Owl: http://thebookishowl.wordpress.com/
2/4 – review/giveaway, Writing the Renaissance: http://writingren.blogspot.com/
2/5 – interview, Writing the Renaissance: http://writingren.blogspot.com/
2/6 – interview, Between the Sheets/Heather Webb: http://www.heatherwebbauthor.com/category/blog/
2/7 – interview, Spann of Time: http://www.susanspann.com/
2/8 – review/giveaway, Passages to the Past: http://www.passagestothepast.com/
2/9 – review, Royal Reviews: http://theroyalreviews.blogspot.com/
2/10 – Picture This, SheReads: http://www.shereads.org/
2/10 – review/giveaway, The Lit Bitch: http://thelitbitch.com/
2/11 – review, Reading the Past: http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/
2/11 – interview/on-sale announcement, Enchanted by Josephine: http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com/
2/11 – Three Favorite Things, USA TODAY’S Happy Ever After: http://www.usatoday.com/blog/happyeverafter/
2/12 – review/giveaway, Enchanted by Josephine: http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com/
2/12 – review, Muse/Erika Robuck: http://www.erikarobuck.com/Blog.html
2/13 – review, Unabridged Chick: http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/
2/13 – interview/giveaway/excerpt, Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/
2/14 – interview, Unabridged Chick: http://unabridged-expression.blogspot.com/
2/15 – review, Historical Fiction Obsession: http://historicalfictionobsession.blogspot.com/
2/16 – review, Lesa’s Book Critiques: http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/
2/17 – review/interview, A Bookish Affair: http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/
2/18 – review, Let Them Read Books: http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/
2/19 – interview, Let Them Read Books: http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/
2/20 – review/giveaway, The Maiden’s Court: http://themaidenscourt.blogspot.com/
2/21 – review/giveaway, No More Grumpy Bookseller: http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Day One by Nate Kenyon

Imagine if you woke up and your coffee machine attacked you. Not outright physically jumped on you, but your coffee is blazingly hot and the pot explodes in your hand. You'd chalk it up as a fluke, right? But what if it escalates? Elevators shutting down with people trapped inside, cars driving themselves, and every computer, phone, and camera watching your every move. John Hawke is about to experience this and more.

Hawke, an accomplished hacker and journalist, has cut all his ties with his past. After being investigated for leaked confidential documents, Hawke lost his job with the Times and only just managed to avoid jail time. Now he's on the fairly straight and narrow, doing everything he can to support his family. He's lucky enough to land a gig writing for a tech magazine and is working on what could be a major story when the end of the world happens. 

James Weller, founder of Conn.ect, Inc, has invited Hawke to his office headquarters, granting him unheard of access to the inner sanctum so to speak. Weller was once high up with Eclipse, a company involved in  exciting and cutting edge energy sharing ideas based on Weller's work. But Weller was forced to leave, which led to him founding his own start up. And while Conn.ect is a great story on its own, Eclipse is the real goal. Before Weller can really begin to tell his story, though, everything starts to go south. Power goes out and people begin to panic. Hawke and the Conn.ect folks are trying to make their way to one of the city's emergency centers when it finally becomes clear just how bad things have gotten. And now Hawke and everyone connected to Weller have become targets for the authorities and scapegoats to take the fall for who or what is really behind it all. 

Nate Kenyon made a name for himself early on with his debut, Bloodstone, which earned him a Stoker nomination. Each of his follow up titles, The Reach, The Bone Factory, and Sparrow Rock, were all received well amongst reviewers and a couple were optioned for film. To date, I've read all of them except Sparrow Rock, and Kenyon's definitely been on my list of horror authors to watch. So of course I was pretty stoked to see that he had a new book coming out. And while technically this is a techno thriller, I personally consider it horror as well.

Kenyon presents a frightening scenario that I find all too possible in this day and age. AI has long been a fear amongst many and comes up a lot as a possible end of everything (Terminator's Skynet, etc). I kind of think my computer is out to get me on a pretty much daily basis so, like I said, tech gone wrong is 100% plausible in my book!

At one point, one of the characters in the book points out exactly how accessible people are through their various connections and paper trails (which are now electronic paper trails). Here you have a pretty typical situation in apocalypse fiction with the main character trying to survive and protect his family - in this case Hawke's major struggle is getting to his family in the first place. But Kenyon's story goes beyond that with Hawke also trying to find a way to get the truth out and hide himself from an entity that has access to every piece of data there is on him, his acquaintances, and his family.

I really loved Hawke as a character. He's smart and driven and the kind of character who can pretty easily think his way out of a tight corner. So while he's facing tough odds, each new idea that comes to him along the way suits his character as Kenyon has presented him, which of course makes the story much more believable as well.

Day One is an all around excellent thriller with a high gore factor and lots of creepy plausibility. I sincerely hope to see more from Kenyon soon, possibly even in the form of a sequel? (I have no idea if that's in the cards for Hawke but it would be great if it was.)

Rating: 5/5