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.
The Last Princess and the Cup of Immortality by D. R. Whitney
Posted by: | CommentsTitle: 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.






