Waukegan Public Library - fantasy

Have You Heard About... Hex Appeal

Fran J — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:41:52 +0000

… the hottest hexes money can buy? Hex Appeal, edited by P. N. Elrod, brings together nine stories by some of the top urban fantasy authors of our time. From the University of Oklahoma to London’s Nightside, an intriguing collection of vampires, zombies, witches, wizards, demons, and other supernatural creatures deal with spells to help and hurt them.

While the tone of the stories varies, all have at least dark humor and a touch of mystery, and most also feature love, lust, or romance. These are all new stories, not reprints or excerpts from other works. A few feature characters from longer series, but they stand alone perfectly well. This collection has something for everyone: betrayal, retribution, innocent mistakes, and salvation; worlds much like ours and worlds where magic is crushing technology; gritty noir, true love, and epic fight scenes. Give it a try if you like Ms Elrod’s other anthologies, such as Dark and Stormy Knights or Strange Brew.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Seraphina

Fran J — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 06:47:30 +0000

… life in a city in the great country of Goredd? Rachel Hartman’s novel, Seraphina, follows the title character as she struggles with identity and prejudice in an alternate Middle Ages. The kingdom of Goredd has had an uneasy peace with dragons for nearly forty years. The dragons can take human form, but friendship between the two races is viewed with suspicion, and relationships are outlawed by both sides. Despite this, Seraphina is the daughter of a human father and a dragon mother. If anyone outside of her immediate family learned this, she would certainly be exiled, and she would probably be killed. Unfortunately, exposing herself may be the only way to prevent the outbreak of a new war.

Ms Hartman infuses her story with an incredible amount of detail, from the many saints who influence everyday life in Goredd to the austere habits of dragons. Seraphina’s story is much more serious than that of Amy Unbounded, a graphic novel set in the same world. However, it still has points of wry humor and whimsy. The two stories also share an elegance of storytelling, with a wide variety of characters who drift apart and then back together.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Amy Unbounded

Fran J — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 06:42:46 +0000

… life on a farm in the great country of Goredd? Rachel Hartman’s graphic novel, Amy Unbounded: Belondweg Blossoming, follows the title character through the summer she turns ten, a time filled with celebrations and troubles. Amy reads (most of) the story of Queen Belondweg, who united Goredd long ago. She also learns more about the role of women in modern Goredd. Her mother is a barbarian who settled in Goredd and learned to make clocks. Amy’s best friend’s sister raised him and most of his brothers after their mother died, but she has no rights and will become a servant in her own home when her oldest brother marries. Amy’s mother’s best friend is a wealthy textile merchant, but she will lose her business if she does not marry by the queen’s deadline; despite this, she runs her kitchen as an open salon where women of all classes can gather and talk freely.

Ms Hartman gives us an intriguing look at rural life in an alternate Middle Ages. Amy is free spirited and energetic — teasing family and friends, playing pranks, and making up silly songs. However, she is also starting to grow up and realize some of the serious aspects of life — arranged marriages, having her best friend sent off to be fostered in another village. She learns a bit about love, too, from her own first crush to a friend who falls for a dragon in human form. Not everything ends well, but a number of crises are averted (or at least made less awful), and plenty of good can be found at the end.

The story is fun and thought provoking. The black and white artwork is elegantly spare, giving every detail needed without being busy or overwhelming. Amy Unbounded has a similar feel to Amelia Rules — fresh, energetic characters who deal with serious problems without losing their sense of fun and adventure. Try it!

This graphic novel is set in the same world as Rachel Hartman’s novel, Seraphina.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Giants Beware!

Fran J — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 06:32:19 +0000

… the smallest giant hunter of Mont Petit Pierre? Giants Beware! in this wonderful graphic novel by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre. Young Claudette is ready to take on any monsters she can find, a difficult prospect since she is not permitted outside the walls of her home town. However, she manages to get out with the help of her younger brother, Gaston, her best friend, Marie, and her dog, Valiant. Together, they overcome many obstacles to find the dreaded Baby-Feet-Eating Giant.

This is a wonderful story about bravery, loyalty, and being willing to admit when you’re wrong. The artwork is cartoonish, but surprisingly detailed, particularly in facial expressions. The characters are well-defined and mature over the course of their adventure. They also are not constrained by stereotypes — Claudette is a rather bloodthirsty girl, eager to hunt monsters like her parents, while Marie wants to become a princess; Gaston wants to be a blacksmith and a chef. The story shows the values of different skills and the need to work together to achieve goals. However, it never gets preachy, staying interesting and fun throughout the story.

If you enjoy medieval fantasies with strong girl characters, give this great graphic novel a try!

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on audiobook

Fran J — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:07:54 +0000

… the many voices of Jim Dale, the narrator for the Harry Potter audio books? As my first foray into the world of audio books, I tried listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a couple months ago, and I felt like I was discovering the series all over again. I won’t go into a plot summary of the Harry Potter books, since most everyone is familiar with the story, but I will say that listening to the books on CD is completely magical.

Jim Dale, a well-known British actor, narrates the entire series, and brings the characters to life in a way that goes beyond mere imagination. (Need proof? Listen to Chapter four of The Sorcerer’s Stone, when we are first introduced to Hagrid. Jim’s voice for the bearded giant exceeds anything our imaginations could ever convey.)

And while nothing will ever be able to take the place of my Harry Potter book collection, I’m really happy that I gave these audio books a listen. It’s like being treated to story time as an adult, and by the time I finish the seventh book, I know that I will be just as sad to leave Hogwarts as I was when I first finished the series. So, thank you, Jim Dale. Thank you for bringing Harry Potter to life for me again.

Reviewed by Katie (staff)

Have You Heard About... The Night Circus

Fran J — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 06:24:42 +0000

…the magic of Le Cirque des Rêves? In Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, a fantastic circus travels the globe, popping up in the middle of the night, without warning. It is only open after dark and often vanishes as quickly as it appeared. Everyone who visits Le Cirque des Rêves is forever haunted by its beauty and mystery. And in the center of the carnival are Celia and Marco, two young magicians who have fallen in love with each other and who have been unknowingly pitted against the other in a magical fight to the death.

This is a gorgeously written book. Reading it feels like a marvelous dream, and every aspect of the circus comes alive in enchanting detail, from the impossible Ice Garden to the ever-changing clock at the entrance to the circus. And, of course, at the heart of the novel is a beautiful and powerfully imagined romance. I’m in awe of what Erin Morgenstern has created, and I can’t wait to read this one again.

Reviewed by Katie (staff)

Have You Heard About... Touchstone

Fran J — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:13:09 +0000

… the real wizards of the theater? Far from our stage magicians, these men use true magic to create illusions of sight, sound, and even emotion for their plays. In Melanie Rawn’s Touchstone, readers follow a theatrical troupe from their start in cheap bars to their triumphant tour of the coveted Winterly Circuit. Their success is threatened by personal struggles, conflicts within the group, and the leader’s worries about his secret precognitive dreams.

Ms Rawn gives us a suspenseful book with an intricate, unique form of magic. The four main characters and several of their friends are well developed. The plot is complex, mixing prejudices and political intrigue with the natural exuberance of young men who want to have a good time and celebrate their successes. Both the precognitive foreshadowing and a slightly cliff-hanger ending pave the way for a sequel. I’m looking forward to it!

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Hexes and Hemlines

Fran J — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:11:46 +0000

… the latest cozy urban fantasy mystery that has a gobgoyle in it? The newest book by Juliet Blackwell, Hexes and Hemlines*, gives us more of a glimpse into the past of Lily Ivory, the owner of Aunt Cora’s Closet, a vintage clothing shop in the San Francisco area.

She’s a witch that never completed her witchy training. Her familiar is a pot bellied pig named Oscar who has an interesting past that’s also finally revealed. Lily, Aidan (the head of the witch society in the area), Sailor (a reluctant mind reader), Bronwyn (part of a coven and Lily’s co-worker at the shop) and a wonderful cast of secondary characters really come to life with all of their powers as Lily tries to solve the murder of a Serpentarian Society leader. With bad luck symbols all over the place, will Lily have enough magic to save herself and figure out who did it before the cops do?

It helps if you’ve already read the first two books in this wonderful series, but this book gives just enough of the back story so you do know what’s going on.

* The earlier books in the series are Cast-Off Coven and Secondhand Spirits.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... One Salt Sea

Fran J — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:56:22 +0000

… changeling private investigator, October Daye? In Seanan McGuire’s One Salt Sea*, Toby discovers the lengths that people will reach to start a war. Someone in the fae community is trying to start a war between the land and the sea by kidnapping the Undersea Duchess of Saltmist’s two sons and implicating the Queen of the Mists in the crime. The fae will do a lot to one another, but children are rare and precious. Someone who is willing to kidnap and harm them is desperate and even more dangerous than usual. Toby only has three days to find and stop them. She would do the job anyway, to prevent the war and save the children, but her foes will make the job much more personal before everything is done.

The October Daye novels are an excellent urban fantasy series set in the San Francisco area. They feature non-stop action, with a little romance for spice. A wide variety of fae (both pure- and mixed-blood) inhabit these books, from Daoine Sidhe and Pixies to Merrow and Naiads. Most of them are of Celtic or European origin, but not all. Both different races and specific individuals are well developed, with their own traits and quirks.

Reading the earlier books in the series will help you understand the characters and their history together, but enough background is worked into this novel to let you dive right into the story. I highly recommend it.

* The previous books in this series are Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, and Late Eclipses. Seanan McGuire also writes zombie horror novels as Mira Grant.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)

Have You Heard About... Flesh and Fire

Fran J — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:40:28 +0000

… the spellwines that Vinearts make? Laura Anne Gilman created a unique form of magic for her book Flesh and Fire*. Although other people can use some of the power in the wines they make, only Vinearts can reach the magic in the grapes to make spellwines and use them to their full potential. Different grapes are better suited to different types of spells, and Vinearts also have specialties that affect which types of wines they can make and use the best.

Due to ancient abuses of power, Vinearts must come from the vineyards’ slaves, and the reader learns along with Jerzy, who is just starting his apprenticeship. Reclusive and secretive, even amongst themselves, Vineart training is as hard and dangerous as the life as a slave, although in much different ways and with many more rewards. As Jerzy adjusts to his new status and learns how to make and use spellwines, his world is threatened by someone who seems to be quietly destroying the precious vineyards (and their owners) and disrupting the balance of power.

* The later books in the series are Weight of Stone and The Shattered Vine.

Reviewed by Fran (staff)