Archive for Fantasy Book Reviews
Travel New Worlds in Ghosts & Echoes by Lyn Benedict
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Title: Ghosts & Echoes
Author: Lyn Benedict
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Pages: 368
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “Michael Demalion had trusted her with his life, and Rafael Suarez before him. They were both dead now. Dead of trusting her.”
Ghosts & Echoes is the second book in the Shadows Inquiries series by Lyn Benedict. If you’ve read the debut book in the series, Sins & Shadows, then you’re familiar with the urban fantasy world of Magicus Mundi, a supernatural realm that operates just below the radar of human beings. A dark, disturbing place where the normal rules of human reality don’t apply, Magicus Mundi is populated by sorcerers, werewolves, and other evildoers of the undead.
Private eye Sylvie Lightning is the implacable foe of the Magicus Mundi. As the owner of Shadows Inquiries, a firm that investigates paranormal crimes, she specializes in cases involving magic. But sometimes it’s hard to separate the possessed from the just plain psycho—and that’s the challenge Sylvie faces when she takes the case of Adam Wright, a Chicago cop who is convinced that he’s being inhabited by a ghost. Sylvie first has to determine whether Wright is really possessed, or simply suffering from PTSD. As she digs into her client’s plight, she begins to suspect that Wright’s ghost is somehow connected to her own troubled past. As she inches closer to the truth, she realizes that the real target of this ghost may not be Wright, but Sylvie herself.
And as if exorcising a ghost isn’t enough to keep Sylvie busy, she also has to tackle another series of crimes, a spate of burglaries connected to a ring of teenagers dabbling in the black arts. Things go from bad to worse when she learns that her younger, rebellious sister Zoe may be involved in the break-ins.
Ghosts & Echoes is intense and fast-paced, written in gritty prose that makes Sylvie’s urban landscape seem believably haunted and threatening. The plot is easy to follow even if you haven’t read the first book in the series. The predicament that Sylvie ultimately faces – whether to save her client’s life or resurrect the ghost that inhabits his body – is fraught with tension and emotionally convincing. Highly recommended!
The Delcroix Academy, Book 1: The Candidates by Inara Scott
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Title: The Delcroix Academy, Book 1: The Candidates
Author: Inara Scott
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Pages: 304
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “Jacks mouth tightened. He looked between me and Cam. ‘This is really about him isn’t it? You think Prince Charming is going to ride away with you on his white horse. Well, that’s not how it really works.’ He threw off my hand. ‘He’s no better than I am.’”
So many times I read a book that someone tells me could be the next Twilight and I am always disappointed. But, this time I am going to say it. The debut book “Delcroix Academy, Book One: The Candidates” by Inara Scott may be as popular as Twilight if enough people try it. The story is not about vampires but instead it’s about people with special powers. It centers on Dancia Lewis, a not-so-popular teenage girl who knows she has a special power that she works to keep hidden. She’s done a good job her whole life making sure she doesn’t get into the spotlight until one day recruiters for an exclusive academy show up at her house where she lives with her grandmother. You see, Dancia recently saved someone using her special gift, thereby bringing her to the attention of the recruiters. They want her to become a member of their special school and they offer her a full scholarship to attend. Dancia’s grandmother talks her into it, thinking she should take advantage of this great opportunity.
Things start out okay for Dancia at the new school but unfortunately, her assigned roommate hates her and her new friend Jack seems to be hiding his own special power. Jack can’t seem to stay out of trouble and he suspects something is not right at their new school. Initially, these things don’t bother Dancia too much because she’s met Cam, the most popular boy at Delcroix Academy. Since Cam seems to like her more than she could ever have believed possible, the idea that he’s involved in something strange isn’t something Dancia’s willing to entertain – until it’s too late.
Inara Scott delivers an exciting story of mystery and fantasy, with healthy doses of romance thrown in – my favorite kind of story. This is a well-written escapade into the life of a gifted teenage girl who does a lot of growing up in a short period of time. There’s no gratuitous sex or violence in the book so it’s a good read for any age. Pick up Book One in the Delcroix Academy series – you’re sure to be hooked.
Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman
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Title: Trick of the Light
Author: Rob Thurman
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Pages: 352
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Best Book Quote: “What you can do with a knife you can just as easily do with the heel of a three- inch boot with just a little more pressure.”
My favorite quote pretty much sums up Trixa, the tough-as-nails female lead in Trick of the Light, Book 1 in Rob Thurman’s “Trickster” series.
Trick of Light is the gritty and oftentimes raunchy tale of an information dealer named Trixa Iktomi. She’s a bar owner who tracks down demons in her spare time with her assistants Zeke and Griffin. And in a town like Las Vegas, there are lots of demons to go around. In Trixa’s world demons are sneaky, conniving beings who mask themselves into incredibly sexy beings that make real humans swoon from their attention. This is a necessary trait since a demon’s ultimate goal is to get an innocent to sell his soul. So it’s up to Trixa and her crew to make sure no demon gets that chance.
This installment in the series centers around a piece of information that Trixa received in a previous novel from a dying demon who whispered something to her about -the Light of Life – a shield that will protect heaven or hell from an otherworldly attack. Trixa knows that having this weapon will give her an unimaginable amount of power, and also let her get revenge on the demon that killed her brother.With Trixa Rob Thurman creates a strong female lead who knows what she wants and is not shy about going after it. Thurman’s use of dry humor and sarcasm kept me laughing in a story that has some pretty serious stuff going on. As you read through this story you might find it a little hard to connect with Trixa and her sarcasm because we all know it’s difficult to remember to say something witty every time you open your mouth, but just remember that this is a supernatural fantasy. With endless action and lively banter between the characters, I think Trick of the Light will keep you fully entertained.
A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox
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Title: A tale of Two Demon Slayers
Author: Angie Fox
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Pages: 308
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “After all my years of organizing field trips, fire drills and potty breaks for my three-year-olds at Happy Hands Preschool, you’d think I could get two geriatric biker witches through the Las Vegas airport in under an hour. But sometimes the things that look simple on the outside aren’t. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.”
In Angie Fox’s latest urban fantasy novel A Tale of Two Demon Slayers
(from the Love Spell series) the main character, Lizzie Brown, is a somewhat unconventional slayer in that she didn’t choose her current occupation. Instead, she’s just an average girl who had this wonderful power thrust upon her. With these powers came a family of witches, a talking dog, and an incredibly handsome Griffin named Dimitri – all seemingly there to complicate her life. But, Dimitri ends up being exceptionally helpful during their demon slaying encounters and she’s starting to fall for him.Deciding that’s it’s time for a well-earned vacation, Lizzie and Dimitri decide to go to his family villa in Greece – an awesome opportunity for Lizzie to get to know Dimitri better. Unfortunately, nothing is ever as it seems in the world of the supernatural and it turns out that Dimitri had used some very special magic in his original quest to find Lizzie, the demon slayer. And, someone has stolen that magic – this is not good. It’s tantamount to death for Lizzie if the magic falls into the wrong hands so they must get it back at all costs. So, the vacation in Greece turns into a constant fight to defend the villa against attacks from evil beings while trying to figure out a way to get her magic back.
Angie Fox has crafted a well written tale of supernatural romance and action that almost makes you think she crafted a spell of her own to keep the reader wanting more. The author grabs your attention immediately with funny descriptions of Lizzie’s Harley riding grandmother and her coven of witches. Her talking terrier, Pirate, provides comic relief throughout the book with his quips about every situation they find themselves in while Lizzie herself has that ability to always say the right thing. The sizzling romance between Dimitri and Lizzie is just the right mix of passion and intimacy. I highly recommend A Tale of Two Demon Slayers for urban fantasy readers and look forward to the next installment in the Love Spell series.
Seduced by Shadows by Jessa Slade
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Title: Seduced by Shadows
Author: Jessa Slade
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Pages: 400
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Seduced by Shadows by Jessa Slade is a unique new take on the paranormal urban fantasy and it had me entranced after the first chapter. Sera Littlejohn is an isolated survivor, having come out of a horrendous car wreck with a severe limp and a crippled spirit. When she meets a mysterious stranger who accosts her on the street, and he knows her name, Sera doesn’t realize that her life is about to be changed forever because she is going to be introduced to a world that she cannot believe truly exists – and given a revitalized body to boot.
Archer is a demon-possessed fighter who battles daily to keep his humanity alive and whose mission it is to keep the evil demons of the other worlds at bay. He is drawn to Sera, knowing that she is next on the list for possession by an emerging demon, and that she will be the first demon-possessed female to fight alongside his men in their demon-fighting entourage. An undeniable attraction develops between Sera and Archer but they both fight it, especially since Sera finds the whole concept of a group of demon-possessed fighters saving humanity just too hard to believe, let alone trust.
I loved this story.
Jessa Slade makes Archer ultra-tough yet vulnerable. Sera is damaged both physically and emotionally, yet Archer is able to complete her by allowing her to gradually awaken and find her true calling in life. While reading the book I could totally connect with the characters because the author seamlessly takes you from the normal, everyday world into a strange, unknown place that runs parallel to our reality. It’s a place where an unusual religious order is fighting to keep humanity safe while also fighting to maintain and control the demons inside themselves.
If you like urban fantasy (and you know you do) pick up Seduced by Shadows. I just found out that the sequel Forged of Shadows is now available. Sweet!
