Pax Arcana shorts by Elliott James

Hi, everyone! So sad the weekend is over. I spent most of it getting acquainted to Elliott James's Pax Arcana series, which kicked off in September with Charming. James also penned a number of e shorts to go along with the series, "Charmed I'm Sure," "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls," and "Pushing Luck." (Looks like there's at least one more due out as well.)

In "Charmed I'm Sure" John Charming is just passing through when he stops to help a naked man on the side of the road. The last thing the man remembers is being back in Pennsylvania post Y2K. John instantly suspects there's something magical to blame and goes on the hunt for the thing that might be responsible.

As an intro to the world and the character, "Charmed" is a really fun tale. Whether you read this first or after reading Charming, it gives you a chance to see even more of the great detail James has put into the setting and the mythology that supports his world building.

"Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" follows immediately after "Charmed" with John seeking help from one of the cunning folk. Her name is Sarah White and while she seems innocent enough, John's experience with her kind leaves him wary of trusting her. But all she wants in exchange for helping him is a little help herself after one of her employers goes missing.

I loved the way this one tied into the previous tale, though in reading them I actually read them in reverse. It's ok. It doesn't really matter all that much which order any of these are read in but it was fun that they were linked. Again the use of varied mythology and the Pax Arcana itself prove to be a really great premise for this world and make each of the stories that much more enjoyable.

Finally, in "Pushing Luck" John infiltrates a high end and highly exclusive poker game with an eye to bringing in a bit of income. Turns out this game has higher stakes than just cash when John realizes a Rakshasa is running the whole thing.

Did I mention how cool the mythology used in this series has been so far? I mean you've got fairy rings in the first story, a Norwegian water spirit (a fossegrim) in the second, and a being from Hindu/Buddhist lore in the third. I haven't even touched on John's story at all either, which you get in more detail in the actual book Charming, but he's a former member of the Knights Templar and a werewolf, and a descendant of the legendary Charming family.

In these shorts he travels around a bit Jack Reacher like, using his skills and strengths to bring down supernatural baddies. In Charming he's tapped to help bring down a vampire ring or risk his anonymity. These three stories each serve as great extras if you've already read Charming or as cheap intros to the series if you haven't. They all come with a teaser chapter from the book as well. Orbit also has another short up on their site right now. You can read "Dog Gone" here.

The Pax Arcana series is sure to hit the spot for fans of Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim and Jim Butcher Dreseden books. Definitely recommended for readers who enjoy mythology based urban fantasy and paranormal mystery.

New Releases 11/12/13

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Long Live the Queen by Kate Locke

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

Fiddlehead by Cherie Priest

The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon

An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch

Stella Bain by Anita Shreve

The Raven's Eye by Barry Maitland

Ghost Medicine by Aimee & David Thurlo

Death of the Black Haired Girl by Robert Stone

The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom

Dust by Patricia Cornwell

A Permanent Member of the Family by Russell banks

Tatiana by Martin Cruz Smith

The Living by Matt de la Pena

The Wicked Game by Michelle Zink

Save the Enemy by Arin Greenwood

Hild by Nicola Griffin

New on DVD:
Prince Avalanche
Man of Steel
Dexter: The Final Season

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope
The Secret Daughter of the Tsar by Jennifer Laam
Undead by Kirsty McKay
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell

I get TBR recommendations all over the place and while some folks can't stand title comparisons, I actually don't mind them. As long as they're appropriate. Just a few days ago BN posted this list by Joel Cunningham of "8 Great Books for Fans of The Secret History."I know, I've not yet read The Secret History, but I've actually bought it twice. (I should get to reading that.)

Anyway, I checked out the list out of curiosity since I've got the book everyone loves already in my TBR. There are some great recommendations on this list, guys! I chose one of them as my Pre Pub Book Buzz title for today.

The Shadow Year by Hannah Richell is already out in the UK and will be released in the States in May. Here's the book synopsis from Goodreads:

Still grieving the death of her prematurely delivered infant, Lila finds a welcome distraction in renovating a country house she's recently inherited. Surrounded by blueprints and plaster dust, though, she finds herself drawn into the story of a group of idealistic university grads from thirty years before, who'd thrown off the shackles of bourgeois city life to claim the cottage and rely only on each other on the land. But utopia-building can be fraught with unexpected peril, and when the fate of the group is left eerily unclear, Lila turns her attention to untangling a web of secrets to uncover the shocking truth of what happened that fateful year, in order to come to terms with her own loss and build a new future for herself.

I think it sounds deliciously intriguing and I can't wait for it to come out! Richell does have one book available here in the States already. The House of the Tides (aka Secrets of the Tides) was released this past summer. For more on Richell check out her website here, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson + a Giveaway

Hi, everyone! It's Friday! And what a fabulous Friday it is, because I'm giving away a copy of Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart courtesy of the publisher. For a taste, head over to here and check out the prologue. It's ok, I'll be here when you're done :)

Holy crap this book is good! I feel like this has been such and awesomely excellent reading week, folks. I know not every book I pick up will be amazing but I've seriously had a string of fabulous ones lately and I hope it doesn't end anytime soon!

The first Epics appeared over a decade ago in the wake of the appearance of Calamity. David's own father always believed that this would bring about real superheroes, but the Epics have all proved to be out for their own good. Then David witnessed his father's death at the hands of Steelheart, the Epic who would go on to claim Chicago as his own personal kingdom, and became determined to see the man brought down. David was the only one to live through that day. Each of the Epics has a downfall and David is the only person who's come close to discovering Steelheart's. The only person who's ever seen Steelheart bleed. Now eighteen, David longs to join the Reckoners, a team of regular humans who have stepped up to fight the Epics.

Yeah, yeah. I know I'm late to the Brandon Sanderson bandwagon. This is the guy who was tapped to finish Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series after all. He's been a busy, busy guy too. In addition to those big shoes to fill, Sanderson is the author of more than one series of his own, the recently released Rithamtist, and now Steelheart.

Given all of that, I did know that I was in for something amazing. I just didn't know how amazing it would be! I started Steelheart over lunch yesterday and read the first 87 pages. If I could have, I would have stayed right where I was until I turned the last page. Alas, real life was calling. That's ok though because I dove straight in after work ended again and this time did sit through to the final page!

In what can only be an homage to all the classic superhero stories out there, Steelheart begins with David's origin story (that's the prologue I linked above in case you missed it). The idea that Sanderson has basically turned the superhero trope on its head by making the humans themselves the superheroes is pretty fun. Also, because I didn't really read the synopsis before starting the book, the fact that the title character is the big baddie was something that I was not expecting! As I said, holy crap this book was good!

This is a wonderfully imagined and action filled start to a series, with book two due out next fall. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

And now for the giveaway. To enter to win, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before November 25. US only and no PO boxes please.


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The Lair by Emily McKay

As I mentioned yesterday in my post on The Farm, today I'm part of the blog tour for Emily McKay's The Lair. Warning, if you've not yet read The Farm there will be spoilers below!

Refresher: so yeah, a vampire-like plague has taken over the country. The baddies are called Ticks. Lily and her sister, Mel, were saved by Carter who, along with the vampire Sebastian, hoped Lily could help save humanity. Instead it turned out Mel was the one they were looking for, which they only discovered just before she became a vampire.

While Mel is left to train with Sebastian, Carter, Lily, and McKenna make their way to Utah where the resistance camp is based. But the camp may not be the salvation they'd all hoped. When they arrive they find that the camp has recently been attacked by one of their own who was infected. With their numbers depleted and folks afraid to leave, resources are scarce. But the Ticks are as persistent as ever and the original plan to defeat them is seemingly blown. If she's to save herself and the others Lily will have to come up with an alternative and quick. 

You notice I said it's up to Lily and not Carter to come up with a plan. He's there. He's planning, but Lily is still as kick-ass as she was in the first outing. I love her. She's stubborn and persistent, but smart. Carter kind of drives me nuts in the beginning trying to keep her safe and sound. Not apocalypse practical, man!

It's strange how often a sequel can disappoint after a fabulous start. Fortunately that wasn't the case at all here. I loved The Lair just as much as The Farm. In fact, after finishing The Farm I couldn't wait to get back to the story and the characters, so I really had quite high expectations to begin with. The Lair delivered on all counts.

One twist in McKay's books that I really enjoy is the way the Ticks came about. This idea that while there have always been vampires but no one knew and then an outbreak causes the Ticks is a particularly cool twist to the more common vampire lore. I also really liked the detail that McKay employed to explain the outbreak - there's a bit of this in The Farm and more in The Lair. It added an extra layer of believability to the whole scenario. I'm a sucker for a good outbreak story. I sometimes like to say that if I'd been a stronger science student I might have ended up studying virology. There's just something so intriguing about it all.

Happily there is to be a follow up. According to McKay (and I read it here in My Bookish Ways's fabulous interview - she's doing a giveaway too so I highly suggest checking it out) it's tentatively titled The Vault. Um, big yay!

Rating: 4.5/5

The Farm by Emily McKay

This was to be a marathon reading week and I managed to stay on track up until... last night. Yesterday was a bit of a blah day, that's the only excuse I have. But I did get back to my book, Emily McKay's The Farm after a few brainless sitcoms. I have to say, every time I think I'm likely done with vamps someone comes along and surprises me. Last time it was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and now there's Emily McKay's series.

Lily and her twin sister, Mel, were shipped off to the Farm about six months ago. Thanks to an outbreak, a huge chunk of the population has become infected with a pathogen that makes them bloodsucking freaks. They call them Ticks. And since the Ticks seems to find teen blood particularly tasty, the Farms were created to keep the teen population safe. Or so they said. They were to wait out a cure but said cure has yet to be found and Lily has discovered that they're all being used as food instead, with multiple blood donations a month and careful tracking of their hormones. What's worse, no one's really sure what happens when you turn eighteen. With their birthday right around the corner, Lily and Mel aren't going to wait around to find out. Lily has planned their escape and is ready to set it in motion when Carter shows up. They were classmates before all this started, at least until Carter was shipped off to military school. Lily isn't sure she can trust Carter but thinks he may be her best shot for getting out. Carter is definitely hiding things and has his own plans, which do include saving Lily and Mel, but to what end?

So it's a post viral outbreak apocalypse story with vampires. Works for me! It has all the great elements of a typical post apocalyptic tale - tension and gruesome baddies, the constant threat that those around you might turn on you either becoming Ticks themselves or stabbing you in the back to save their own skin, and the desperate/desolate post disaster setting that I find so tempting in a tale. And you have a tough as nails heroine in Lily!

McKay alternates chapters between Lily, Carter, and Mel and it's this that makes the book really interesting. Mel is autistic and her chapters are oddly awesome - or awesomely odd. I can't even imagine what kind of headspace McKay had to be in to put together Mel's chapters. There's no way my imagination could reach to those depths! The only other time I've seen an author attempt this - and I'm sure there are more but this is the only one I recall - it was Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn and the narrative drove me batty! This time around it worked for a number of reasons, first and foremost because Mel is not the main narrator. But it is a definite unique and appealing aspect with The Farm and McKay does it well.

This is the first in a multi-part story. The sequel, The Lair, is out now and I'll be reviewing it tomorrow as part of the tour (here's the link to all the tour dates and spots). There's also to be a prequel called The Before, which will be out in December according to the official website for the series.

I really don't want to give away too much for you guys, but if you missed out on The Farm (like I somehow managed to) and you love survivalist post apocalyptic stuff then you'll want to check out the books regardless of how you feel about vampires (psst, these definitely do not sparkle!). Also, there's this. Hit the link. Check it out. So. Super. Fabulous.

Rating: 4/5

Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I Can't Wait to Get My Hands On!

I've decided to jump on board with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is: sequels I can't wait for!

There are quite a few, I must admit. Here goes my top ten:

1. The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell - London Falling was completely excellent. There was a pretty cool reveal in the end and I'm just dying to continue the story. Right now it's set for an April release from Tor. 

2. The Scarlet Tides by David Hair - I only finished reading Mage's Blood last weekend and I honestly could have gone straight into book two after turning the final page. Everything is so up in the air for the characters that I NEED to know what's going to happen (not that this one will provide any sort of closure - there are to be four books total). Scarlet Tides is actually out in the UK. I'm not sure I can wait for the US edition! 

3. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - really, if you've not read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children as of yet you are seriously missing out!

4. Red Horse by Alex Adams - I have no clue when this book will actually be out, but I adored White Horse. 

5. Wicked Little Secrets by Kara Taylor - Prep School Confidential was one of my favorite debuts of 2013. This follow up is due out in March and I expect it'll be just as fun as the first. 

6. I was going to stick strictly to sequels but I've got to go with multiples now - The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring by George R. R. Martin. Everyone who's read the series so far is dying for them!

7. Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones - number 5 was quite possibly my favorite in the series so far so of course I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

8. Wolf by Mo Hayder - book seven in the Jack Caffery series. Hayder is phenomenal and this series is a long time favorite of mine. 

9. The One by Kiera Cass - the third in the Selection series, 'cause I want to know who America and Maxon will pick!!!

10. Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi - third in the Under the Never Sky trilogy. This is a cheat because I technically have the e arc to review. I haven't started it yet so I'm including it on the list. 

Honorable mention (and my way of going over 10):

Fortune's Blight by Evie Manieri - another epic fantasy series. This one started in 2012 with Blood's Pride and I thought it was phenomenal. 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's fourth Cemetery of Forgotten Books installment. 

In the End by Demitria Lunetta - 'cause In the After was soooooo good!