Archive for New Fantasy Books
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.
Evermore by Alyson Noel
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Title: Evermore
Author: Alyson Noel
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Pages: 320
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Sample Book Passage: “I nod, refusing to look any further than his sleek, black motorcycle boots. The kind that are more GQ than Hell’s Angels. The kind that look very out of place among the rows of multi-colored flip flops that are currently gracing the green-carpeted floor.”
A sixteen year old high school girl who can read the thoughts of others – sounds like a gift, right? Well, not really for Ever Bloom, a young girl who had a near-death experience and she now knows people’s thoughts, learning all of their life story simply through touch. Why is that a bad thing? Well, in Evermore, by Alyson Noel, knowing people’s innermost thoughts is not nearly as entertaining as one would think – people hide a lot of disturbing information from others while maintaining a ‘respectable’ façade.
Hiding behind her iPod and a hoodie, afraid to touch anyone, Ever does whatever she can to block out the psychic energy flowing around her. When a gorgeous new kid, Damen Auguste, shows up in school, every girl wants to be with him – except Ever. Keeping to herself, she avoids looking at him until she finally can’t avoid eye contact any longer and what she sees shocks her – he has no aura and she can’t hear his thoughts. What’s going on? How can this walking, talking hunk have no aura . . . is he dead?
Ever avoids Damen but she can’t run from him, he tracks her down. Hooking up with him at a party, Ever is sure her life is about to change. But, the next week, Damen neither calls nor texts – he’s a grope-and-run. And when she sees him giving a white rose to her top tormentor in class, she can only think that he must be playing some kind of sadistic game – jerk! But, there’s a whole lot more to this story than meets the eye and Ever is in for a wild ride as she finds out just what Damen is and what’s in store for her future.
Evermore is available in paperback, Kindle format and audio format.
The Sand Dragon by Michael F. Stewart
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Title: The Sand Dragon
Author: Michael F. Stewart
Release Date: April 2, 2010
Pages: 256 pages
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “In the Cretaceous period the area would have been a hunting ground for a lizard like this. But these appeared to be bones, real bones. “It’s not a fossil,” Kim suggested, and immediately shook the thought clear from her mind.”
Kim Axon, a gung-ho paleontologist, thinks that she has found the skeletal find of a lifetime but just as she is about to start her excavation, the skeleton is stolen. Kim immediately suspects that the mysterious Dr. Bythell, a scientist in league with the oil company, is the culprit. What the heck – this is her find! That’s how The Sand Dragon by Michael F. Stewart starts out and it keeps getting better.
Kim makes this find near Fort Mic, a place with a mysterious history. Although the area, close to where her father was killed, holds disturbing memories for Kim, she’s a determined young woman who refuses to let the male-dominated Canadian oil mining camp deter her from her mission. She’s steadfast in her goal to identify the mysterious skeleton accidentally excavated by one of the operators at the mining facility.
As Kim refuses to let up in her quest to recover the mysterious skeleton, she’s faced with hostile townsfolk and Native American tribe members who blame her family for an ugly history of indoctrination at a local school by government authorities. However, she perseveres and as she delves deeper into the mysterious skeleton, it’s obvious that all is not as it seems. When the townsfolk start to get sick and die, Kim realizes that more than scientific glory-grabbing is at stake – their survival is at risk.
Michael F. Stewart provides an excellent fantasy/horror story with great action and intrigue. Is the strange illness actually part of a conspiracy being perpetuated by the oil conglomerate? Is it an age-old curse come to life? Kim will need to use all of her talents in order to solve this puzzle and save her life.
Fortunately, she’s not alone in her quest. Her adventure puts her in contact with lots of different characters, all of whom are well defined and progress the plot forward. They’re skillfully woven into parallel story lines that keep you guessing as you try to figure out how and when they’ll eventually intersect with one another.
If you like a solid, fast-paced horror mystery that has some fantastical elements to it, read The Sand Dragon; Michael F. Stewart delivers a remarkable story.
The Last Princess and the Cup of Immortality by D. R. Whitney
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Title: The Last Princess and the Cup of Immortality
Author: D. R. Whitney
Release Date: November 1, 2009
Pages: 374 pages
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Best Book Quote: “Vivienne drifted above the desperate scene until the warmth of strong arms embraced her. The handsomest young man she had ever seen with black hair and the most penetrating golden eyes, was comforting her as he held her in the fine wool of his purple cloak.”
Imagine a girl who dreams of a handsome boy with golden eyes. In the dreams, he is madly in love with her and shows her places so beautiful she cannot believe they are real. But real they are and with this, you have the makings of a great new teen fantasy series, The Last Princess and the Cup of Immortality by D. R. Whitney. This is the story of Vivienne Le Faye, a normal American 16-year old girl who lives in a boarding school in Manhattan. Her grandmother has recently died, leaving her an orphan. She inherits a family heirloom, a beautiful ruby necklace, and immediately begins to have vivid dreams of a golden eyed boy who professes his eternal love for her. The hardest part for her to believe is that the dreams are also telling that her she is the Lady of the Lake, the last princess of an alternate world.
This alternate world is filled with magic and mystery but absolutely no technology. Her dreams tell her that evil people are coming for her and Vivienne is determined to find out what the heck is really going on – it seems her dreams are saying that if she does find her way back to the fantasy world then both her world and theirs are going to end. What is a sixteen year old girl to do with all that responsibility? The only thing she knows for sure is that the golden eyed boy is there for her and she must find him.
D.R. Whitney has crafted a wonderful fantasy world where any adult or teenager can lose themselves in magic and wonder. It is a wide-ranging story filled with mystery, eternal love, and the fulfillment of a destiny that has waited thousands of years to reach culmination. This is a tremendous treat for any fantasy lover and I am especially pleased by the author’s ability to draw the reader into her spell and keep us wanting more.
