Posts tagged with fantasy

Oct 28 2013

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Dark Between, by Sonia Gensler

2013-10-28-weekly-book-giveaway-the-dark-between-by-sonia-gensler

This week's Book Giveaway pick is Sonia Gensler's gothic romance The Dark Between, which I'm hoping (based entirely upon its title and cover art, as I haven't actually read the official description yet) is a Halloween-appropriate choice. Our review should go up later today...

More »

Oct 21 2013

Weekly Book Giveaway: Across A Star-Swept Sea, by Diana Peterfreund

2013-10-21-weekly-book-giveaway-across-a-starswept-sea-by-diana-peterfreund

This week's Book Giveaway pick is Diana Peterfreund's Across A Star-Swept Sea, a "companion novel" (in this case, that means "not a sequel, but set in the same world") to 2012's For Darkness Shows the Stars. Both books have enjoyably weird literary ambitions: For Darkness Shows the Stars is a post-apocalyptic YA retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, while Across A Star-Swept Sea is an equally bizarre re-working of the Baroness Orczy's...

More »

Sep 25 2013

Untold: The Lynburn Legacy, Book Two, by Sarah Rees Brennan

2013-09-25-untold-the-lynburn-legacy-book-two-by-sarah-rees-brennan

Sarah Rees Brennan's novel Unspoken was one of my favorite YA books of 2012. I objected to the twee cover art, the overly-mannered dialogue, and the underdeveloped antagonist, but I was utterly in love with the protagonists' romantic conflict: an example of teen angst done absolutely right...

More »

Sep 16 2013

The Blood Keeper, by Tessa Gratton

2013-09-16-the-blood-keeper-by-tessa-gratton

While Tessa Gratton's The Blood Keeper is billed as a “companion novel” to her book Blood Magic, rather than a sequel, you need to have read the earlier book for this one to make sense. (Actually, this one isn't guaranteed to make sense even if you have read Blood Magic, but the light bulb might glow a little brighter...

More »

Sep 16 2013

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Blood Keeper, by Tessa Gratton

2013-09-16-weekly-book-giveaway-the-blood-keeper-by-tessa-gratton

This week's Book Giveaway title is Tessa Gratton's The Blood Keeper, the standalone "companion novel" to her 2011 novel Blood Magic, which we reviewed here. It's... not a sequel, I guess, but set in the same world? And maybe the pair from the first book will make a cameo? Who knows? Anyway, our review should go up later today...

More »

Sep 11 2013

Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers

2013-09-11-grave-mercy-by-robin-lafevers

Robin LaFevers's Grave Mercy rings my bell on about a million different levels. Her heroine is thoughtful, cautious, and totally badass, the story dives into a load of historical details without triggering all of my usual squeamishness about novels set pre-1800, and—best of all—it's the first installment of a trilogy, but there's no cliffhanger...

More »

Aug 26 2013

Weekly Book Giveaway: Dragon's Keep, by Janet Lee Carey

2013-08-26-weekly-book-giveaway-dragons-keep-by-janet-lee-carey

Our Book Giveaway pick of the week is Janet Lee Carey's 2008 historical fantasy novel Dragon's Keep, which we're planning on reviewing later this afternoon. I don't care for the cover art, but I was amused to note that the interior hardcover has been textured to look vaguely like snakeskin. I always approve of people trying to get the little details right...

More »

Aug 13 2013

Drama!

2013-08-13-drama

I recently caught the preview for the upcoming movie Seventh Son. The trailer claimed the film was based on an "acclaimed series", but that's where things got confusing: there is a fantasy novel called Seventh Son (written by Orson Scott Card), but this movie is based on Joseph Delaney's book The Spook's Apprentice (U.K. title)/The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (American version). In addition to...

More »

Aug 5 2013

The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

2013-08-05-the-scorpio-races-by-maggie-stiefvater

I loved Shiver, the first book in Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, but I was seriously underwhelmed by its sequel, Linger. Middle books can be tricky, but Stiefvater's approach was ridiculous...

More »

Jun 18 2013

Spirit's Princess and Spirit's Chosen, by Esther Friesner

2013-06-18-spirits-princess-and-spirits-chosen-by-esther-friesner

After writing everything from poetry to TV novelizations to books with titles like Witch Way to the Mall and Fangs for the Mammaries, Esther Friesner has expanded her résumé yet again, embarking on a series of YA books inspired by famous princesses from history and mythology. Previous books in the series have featured Helen of Troy and Nefertiti, but her latest effort focuses on Himiko, a shaman queen of ancient Japan...

More »

May 28 2013

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, by Galen Beckett

2013-05-28-the-magicians-and-mrs-quent-by-galen-beckett

Galen Beckett's 2008 novel The Magicians and Mrs. Quent features a plot cobbled together from the works of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte, and Henry James, bound together by a hefty dose of classic fantasy. The end result falls short of Susanna Clarke's thematically similar Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but is readable enough in its own right...

More »

Mar 13 2013

Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

2013-03-13-seraphina-by-rachel-hartman

Rachel Hartman's debut novel Seraphina won the 2013 Morris Award for YA literature, but the major thing defining the book as “young adult” is its teenage heroine—everything else about it is straightforward high fantasy, suitable for readers of any age...

More »

Oct 5 2012

We appreciate it, Ms. McGuire.

2012-10-05-we-appreciate-it-ms-mcguire

A September 28th blog post by sci-fi/fantasy author Seanan McGuire about the prevalence of rape scenes in fiction has inspired a fair amount of internet buzz, and deservedly so. Apparently, Ms. McGuire, author of the October Daye series, recently had a staggering encounter with one of her readers, who wanted to know when—not if—one of McGuire's female protagonists was going to be raped...

More »

Jul 3 2012

HBO mines bookstore shelves (again)

2012-07-03-hbo-mines-bookstore-shelves-again

According to Flavorwire, HBO has hired Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof to collaborate with author Tom Perotta on a TV adaptation of Perotta's 2011 novel The Leftovers. The book (which I haven't read), apparently...

More »

Jun 7 2012

The perfect spot to watch TV

2012-06-07-the-perfect-spot-to-watch-tv

If you're looking for the ideal finishing touch for your living room, may I suggest this $30,000 Game of Thrones "Iron Throne" replica? I'm pretty sure it's exactly what your home decor needs to feel complete...

More »

Apr 24 2012

Worlds collide

2012-04-24-worlds-collide

According to AustenBlog, fantasy author Naomi Novik is going to write a short story about Elizabeth Bennet as a dragon captain. The story will be set in the same world as Novik's Temeraire novels, a series of alternative-universe stories set during the Napoleonic Wars, but spiced up with dragons providing aerial support to the Royal Navy and the Army...

More »

Jan 5 2012

Nicole Peeler

Nicole Peeler writes A) really fast*, and B) really fun stuff. As these are two of our favorite traits in an author, she's rapidly moving up the list of our best-loved supernatural romance noveli...

More »

Jan 5 2012

Tempest Rising, by Nicole Peeler

2012-01-05-tempest-rising-by-nicole-peeler

The cover art for Nicole Peeler's Jane True series is a perfect fit for the books: eye-catching, cartoonish, charmingly goth-lite. Also like the books, the covers would be improved by a bit...

More »

Oct 24 2011

The Game of Triumphs, by Laura Powell

10-24-2011-the-game-of-triumphs-by-laura-powell

15-year-old Cat Harper, the orphaned protagonist of Laura Powell's debut novel The Game of Triumphs, is not your typical wide-eyed fantasy heroine. After witnessing a murder, streetwise, pragmati...

More »

Oct 18 2011

Dude must have a lot of time on his hands

Speaking of classic manga adaptations, AnimeNewsNetwork has announced that the 1982 animated film The Last Unicorn is getting a theatrical re-release in 2012 and 2013, and author Peter S. Beagle i...

More »

Aug 8 2011

Kerstin Gier

We can’t tell you much about Kerstin Gier, seeing as we don’t speak German. This is clearly a mistake on our parts, because Ms. Gier’s novel Ruby Red is the only one of her books that has been tr...

More »

Aug 8 2011

Ruby Red, by Kerstin Gier

2011-08-08-ruby-red-by-kerstin-gier

While most of the books I write about are sent to us by publishers or PR groups, occasionally I read something so awesome that it cries out for a review, even if I had to spend my own money t...

More »

May 17 2011

Adele Griffin

Adele Griffin is the author of a number of critically acclaimed YA books, including Tighter, a modernization of Henry James's novella The Turn of the Screw and one of our Featured Books. Ms. Grif...

More »

May 17 2011

Tighter, by Adele Griffin

2011-05-17-tighter-by-adele-griffin

I have always loved Henry James's 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. When it comes to classic horror, this masterpiece of subtle, uncanny creepiness is the gold standard. Tighter, Adele Gr...

More »

May 6 2011

Clearly, Jason Momoa isn't worried about typecasting.

The first full-length trailer for the 2011 remake of Conan the Barbarian came out yesterday, and I'm almost impressed by how silly it looks. I've watched this sucker twice, and I still see absolu...

More »

May 1 2011

Caitlin Kittredge

Caitlin Kittredge is the author of The Iron Thorn, one of our Featured Books and the first title in a new steampunk/horror series aimed at teens. I had significant complaints about The Iron Thorn...

More »

May 1 2011

The Iron Thorn, by Caitlin Kittredge

2011-05-01-the-iron-thorn-by-caitlin-kittredge

The Iron Thorn might be Caitlin Kittredge's first book for young readers, but she's sticking to her roots. According to her author bio, she likes writing about "bad things [happening] to per...

More »

Apr 14 2011

I don't think I'm old enough for this one.

HBO's new take on George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series Game of Thrones is about to descend upon us, and the reviews are mixed. I can't say this makes me want to watch it (although the line "[...

More »

Sep 10 2010

"Best of 2010" already?

The 2010 Hugo Awards for outstanding science fiction or fantasy works were given out this week. The best novel award was a tie this year—China Miéville's The City & The City and Paolo Bacigalupi'...

More »

Jul 10 2010

White Cat, by Holly Black

2010-07-10-white-cat-by-holly-black

Bookstores are currently overflowing with YA novels about vampires and werewolves, but the majority of the “monsters” in these books seem like fundamentally nice guys. They care about their ...

More »

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16