Posts tagged with fantasy
Weekly Book Giveaway: Winter, by Marissa Meyer
This week's Book Giveaway is Marissa Meyer's Winter, the final installment in the best-selling Lunar Chronicles. I wasn't thrilled when Meyer delayed releasing the final novel in her series in favor of a quickie origin story for the antagonist (and charged eighteen bucks for it, too!), but it's probably time for me to get over it...
Heads up, E.L. James
Deadline informs me that Lionsgate is developing a new, one-hour series with Twilight novelist Stephenie Meyer titled The Rook, based on the 2012 novel by Daniel O’Malley...
The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School, by Kim Newman
Kim Newman's The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School is 300 pages of precisely detailed world-building, held together with 100 pages of adventure. It's a fun read, at least if you're part of the (presumably small) subset of people who like slowly-percolating stories...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School, by Kim Newman
This week's Book Giveaway is Kim Newman's The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School, which is not (contrary to appearances) a young-adult book. Personally, I'm hoping for a grown-up version of Catherine Jinks's...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan
This week's Book Giveaway is the first book in Rick Riordan's new Norse mythology series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: the Sword of Summer. (Riordan is not afraid of a cumbersome title, you guys.) I'm so excited about this story—between my well-documented rage over both the Thor movies and the well-written but utterly dour...
Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde
Like my beloved Ysabeau S. Wilce, Jasper Fforde has a gift: his endlessly inventive books feel coherent, even when his actual plots are totally nuts...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Shades of Grey, by Jasper FForde
This week's Book Giveaway is Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey, which is not to be confused with any other shades-of-grey-related books. Instead, it's one of Fforde's trademark blends of fantasy, sci-fi, cultural commentary, and 100-proof weirdness, and I am quite looking forward to reading it. A full review will follow shortly...
Sex, aliens, and videotape
And speaking of fantasy novels, io9 recently put together a great interview about the challenges (which range from "exciting" to, uh, "just plain challenging") facing the people attempting to adapt Octavia Butler’s novel Dawn into a TV show...
Silver Eve, by Sandra Waugh
Last year's Lark Rising was a delight—a dreamy, thoughtful classic fantasy novel aimed at middle- and high-school readers, with a complex heroine and compelling larger world. The novel wasn't perfect (it was too short to do full justice to the material, leaving large sections underdeveloped), but...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Silver Eve, by Sandra Waugh
This week's Book Giveaway is Sandra Waugh's Silver Eve, the sequel to last year's excellent Lark Rising. I'm still a little sad this book will shift the focus to a new heroine, but I'm hoping I'll like her just as well...
Reawakened, by Colleen Houck
Several people have compared Colleen Houck's new novel Reawakened to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books. Both are aimed at younger teens, feature a mixture of human and demigod characters, and rely on a lot of PG-13 action sequences to push their plots along. Unfortunately, Reawakened doesn't share Riordan's greatest strength: his ability to create relatable characters, no matter how over-the-top their abilities or adventures...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Reawakened, by Colleen Houck
This week's Book Giveaway is Colleen Houck's novel Reawakened, the first novel in a "multibook series". (Note: this means I have no idea how long we'll have to wait for actual plot resolution. Sorry!) Reviewers keep favorably comparing Reawakened to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, so I'm excited. A full review will follow later today...
The Raven's Child, by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Thomas E. Sniegoski's standalone graphic novel The Raven's Child has all the right ingredients for an epic fantasy: an inspiring protagonist, a memorable cast of evildoers, and a detailed, visually striking world...
The Diviners, by Libba Bray
Libba Bray's books remind me of cheesecake—good cheesecake, sure, but the basic kind without bittersweet chocolate or lime zest or whatever. Her writing is always rich, carefully crafted, and satisfying, but despite her many excellent qualities, it's just not that memorable...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Diviners, by Libba Bray
In the spirit of summer vacation, this week's Book Giveaway pick is Libba Bray's The Diviners. I was looking for something both satisfyingly hefty and sufficiently entertaining to offset my other beach reading choice—a book about the plague outbreak in the 14th century. At 608 presumably Black-Death-free pages, Ms. Bray's book seems like just the ticket. A review will follow shortly...
Ink and Bone: The Great Library, by Rachel Caine
Rachel Caine's new book Ink and Bone: The Great Library is set in an alternate universe where the world is (unofficially) ruled by the Great Library of Alexandria, a ruthless organization that controls all access to knowledge. Caine's protagonist is sixteen-year-old Jess Brightwell, the son of a successful book smuggler...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Ink and Bone, by Rachel Caine
This week's Book Giveaway is Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone: The Great Library, which blends a fantastic idea—an alternate universe in which the Great Library of Alexandria has survived for centuries—with some tried-and-true dystopian teen-lit trappings. A full review will follow shortly (I'm on chapter three), but so far, so good...
Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson
I had good feelings about Noelle Stevenson's Nimona from the first page. I liked the warm colors and distinctive character design, I always enjoy stories about unconventional families, and I instantly fell in love with the title character, who reminded me strongly of an evil-doing Yotsuba. As the book progressed, however, the initial offbeat silliness began to feel like a bait-and-switch...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson
This week's Book Giveaway is Noelle Stevenson's graphic novel Nimona. Admittedly, I picked it because the main character's name and image reminded me of a fantasy version of Ramona Quimby, but you know what? I've chosen plenty of books for stupider reasons. A full review will follow shortly...
Day Shift, by Charlaine Harris
This is going to sound a little strange, but I mean it as a compliment: Charlaine Harris's Midnight, Texas novels are a delightful opportunity to indulge in benign nosiness. Her characters are still only half-developed (at most), but the odd, disjointed peeks she offers into their lives makes me feel like I've had an opportunity to eavesdrop on the private conversations...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Day Shift, by Charlaine Harris
This week's Book Giveaway is Charlaine Harris's Day Shift, the sequel to her highly enjoyable novel Midnight Crossroad. If Day Shift is even half as fun as Midnight Crossroad, readers are in for a treat—the first book in this series hit all of Harris's sweet spots (pink-collar work, small towns, creepy hijinks), while neatly avoiding her weaknesses...
Blood Magick, by Nora Roberts
It's official: Nora Roberts's writing has reached peak laziness. Not only has she used these characters and situations before, she's used them before in this exact same combination. Seriously, if you want to read Blood Magick, just pick up a copy of her 2002 novel Face the Fire—it's the same story, but half the price...
Jinn and Juice, by Nicole Peeler
Nicole Peeler's Jinn and Juice is nowhere near as terrible as either its tacky cover art or suggestive tagline (“Don't Rub Me the Wrong Way”) would suggest. On the other hand, that doesn't make it actually good, nor does it prevent the story from dipping into some really shady areas...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Jinn and Juice, by Nicole Peeler
This week's Book Giveaway is Jinn and Juice, by Tempest Rising author Nicole Peeler. A full review will follow shortly, but I promise the book is better than that cover makes it look, or that tagline makes it sound...
Undertow, by Michael Buckley
Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm is one of my all-time favorite kids' series. The books have their problems—actually, some really big problems—but they are so funny, romantic, and action-packed that it's easy to overlook their flaws. Buckley's new YA novel Undertow is much darker than his previous books, but...
Fairest, by Marissa Meyer
Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles are a sci-fi blend of classic fairytales, Sailor Moon, and modern fantasy/adventure. Meyer has a gift for mashing all of her various inspirations into a seamless whole, but her constant borrowing makes it difficult to judge her books on their own merits...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Fairest, by Marissa Meyer
This week's Book Giveaway is Marissa Meyer's Fairest: Levana's Story. Fairest was released in place of Winter, the next chronological installment in Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. I think this is a brilliant move. Back-story novels usually only come out after the original series has ended (and they generally only appeal to the most hardcore fans), but Meyer's decision to release this novel early means that...
Dream a Little Dream, by Kerstin Gier
Kerstin Gier's new book Dream a Little Dream is finally out (two years after being released in Germany; her translator remains super slow), and it has the exact same strengths and weaknesses as her first series. Once again, Gier has created a fanciful, romantic world that is...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Dream a Little Dream, by Kerstin Gier
This week's Book Giveaway is Kerstin Gier's Dream a Little Dream, the first book in her new 'Silver Trilogy'. I can tell you that things start off well, but so did her last trilogy, and I am still not over the fact that that series ended with the hero and heroine becoming a pair of nearly-married immortals, despite A) still being teenagers, and B) only knowing one another for a couple of weeks...
I expect there will still be plenty of violence, though.
The Game of Thrones fan site Winter Is Coming informs me that India is planning its own TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin's wildly popular series. It won't be an exact remake...