Another Challenge & Some things off the To Do List

Man, I wish more books would be made in audio. I would get more reading done that way so I can integrate it with work!

I just finished three awesome YA fae themed books (two in a row - all dealing with A Midsummer Night's Dream and Oberon's daughters) and now I'm in a big faerie reading mood. Since I'm reading a lot of YA recently, I decided to join the 2010 YA Reading challenge sponsored by Home Girl's Book Blog (love that name!). I'll be doing the Just My Size Reading Challenge at 25 books. Hopefully I can tear into my TBR pile with all these awesome challenges. They're really getting me in the mood to tackle it.

I'm already doing two challenges:

POC Reading Challenge (Most of my IR romance reading will probably tackle this one along with some YA books featuring POC as main characters)

2010 TBR Challenge - I really like this one because each month has a theme and all the books are from your TBR pile that you've been meaning to check out.

This month for the TBR Chalenge, the theme is historical romance, fiction or mystery. I'm thinking of finally reading The Call of Zulina by Kay Marshall Strom which has been sitting on my nightstand waiting patiently for it's turn for a while now. It'll knock out all three challenges and I'm itching for some more YA historicals featuring main character POCs so this one will be fun.

Outside of reading, I'm chopping up Within the Shadows of Mortals in edits. I'm really excited about this one because I've been receiving some awesome positive words about A Kiss of Ashen Twilight and I'm actually enjoying 'Mortals' will be more. Perhaps it's because it has my focus now, but seeing as the stakes are raised and more danger lurks this time around, I'm hoping you readers out there really like it. I really can't wait to present it!

Darklight (Wondrous Strange #2) by Lesley Livingston

2010 - Young Adult Reading Challenge #5

4/5 - Okay you know a book is good when you start talking back to the characters.

I seriously yelled, "are you freaking kidding me?!" at the end of this book. Listening to it on audio (Livingston does an even better reading this time around), I had to stop what I was doing to take a listen at the action packed ending.

I liked Darklight much more than Wondrous Strange. I didn't mind the fantasy elements since I'm a huge fantasy fan and thought this was a nice splash of fantasy romance, one of my fave subgenres. I liked the action in Darklight and the way things moved at a quicker pace as secrets were revealed and dangerous, suspenseful fights were narrated on the stage.

One of my pet peeve tropes in romance is the "I have to break up with you to save you" and I noticed shades of that reared it's head here. Obviously, this is the middle of a trilogy and it'll fuel interest to keep this reader definitely reading, but it would have been nice to see a twist on this trope so it didn't seem so frustrating.

With that minor complaint aside, I really liked Darklight and am bummed that the final book in this trilogy is months away. Gah! Definitely can't wait to see how this one plays out!

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

2010 - Young Adult Reading Challenge #4

3 1/2 - Reading this on the heels of Julie Kagawa's debut The Iron King, I can't help but note the similarities. Both employ inspirations from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, bringing the characters into our world. Both books also imagine a Fae daughter for King Oberon while showing both sides of the Unseelie and Seelie courts.

Although not as engaging as The Iron King nor as action packed, Wondrous Strange takes it time to weave a narrative around actress Kelly Winslow. I listened to this on audio book which was read by the author herself. It was a real treat that I enjoyed, both in the spirited narrative and the passionate reading. This was a fun tale that I think any Fae fan and/or young adult fan would enjoy adding to their collection! I look forward to seeing how the trilogy unfolds.

Similar Recommendations


The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa
Unseelie by Meredith Holmes
Faerie Blood by Angela Korra'ti

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa ~ A Highly Recommended Read!

2010 - Young Adult Reading Challenge #3

5/5 - Wow! What an excellent debut from Julie Kagawa. The Iron King is the first in the Iron Fey trilogy and I must say I am addicted to this series right off the bat.

Ms. Kagawa opens the book with our heroine Megan Chase dealing everyday teen life battling wits with her parents, caring for her baby half brother Ethan, a jokey best friend and her crush on the most popular boy in school she is sent to tutor. Amidst all of this, there is something otherworldly in the air. Things move out of the corner of her eye, her best friend is acting strange and strange creatures seem to overtake everyday people. Soon the world of the Fey opens up and Megan is called to save her baby brother when he is switched by a vicious changeling and puts her family endanger. Megan's journey sends her through a maze of strange creatures and customs, numerous bargains and debts and a secret revealed about her family history and ultimate future.

I LOVED this book! Although I lament the fact that current fantasy writers have overused the European mythologies to the point of cliche, The Iron Fey takes these myths and breathe new life into them. I loved the idea of the Iron Fey seeing the old courts as the past while they, purveyors of iron, current and advanced technology are the future. The characters are fully developed with Megan being a down to Earth character who is a bit of an outcast in our world but soon finds her footing and strength in the Fey world. She never becomes overbearing to the point of arrogant, she always keeps her head even though her choices aren't always the best ones. I sympathized with her plight and loved her sayings. I was rooting for her to find her baby brother and survive each obstacle that was thrown her way.

I also loved the way the potential romance was handled here. Not to spoil too much but I had a feeling that someone close to her was more interested than he let on. Although that was left unsaid here, I have a feeling it'll be making head way again. I was torn between this character and princely one who is completely and utterly swoonable in the romantic sense. By the end, I was rooting for this character and gasped every time something happened to him. I hate to biased but I'm rooting that she ends up with the latter character. And if she doesn't want him, pass him on over to me!

The Iron King is one of those novels that you hate to put down. There's always something happening and always something about to happen that keeps the action and plot development well paced. It's a good and bad thing because I get to see what happens (good) but the fun is over faster (bad). It's also a bummer because I'm hoping my next read is just as satisfying. Kudos to Harlequin for presenting this in their new Teen line of books. I'm a new fan of Ms. Kagawa and while I'm clamoring for the next Iron Fey entry (August 2010, counting down the days!) I'll be checking out other books in HQN's line.

The Iron King is the first entry into my Best of 2010 Reads.


If you liked The Iron King and are looking for similar books. Might I suggest the following with similar themes and Fae mythology (also recommended from my reading pile):

Unseelie by Meredith Holmes
Faerie Blood by Angela Korra'ti

Read An Ebook Week coming in March

 

Thanks to Rita for my awesome 'Mortals' Inspired Banner!

Mark your calendars, ladies and gents!

March 7 - 13th is Read An Ebook Week. I'm helping to spread the word and love for ebooks and I'll be joining tons of other great folks offering discounts, free ebooks and giveaways to celebrate the digital word. I'm joining some great names such as Warren Adler, Smashwords, OmniLit, Drollerie Press, RAWSISTAZ Literary Group, Jeffrey A. Carver and tons of other folks. Be sure to check out the full list of supporters to find the free goodie reads.

Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger

 TBR2010 - February Theme - Hero in pur­suit or vir­ginal hero

3 1/2. I really enjoyed Jess Granger's futuristic romance debut, Beyond the Rain. Great action, awesome world building and lots of technologic awesomeness to satisfy sci-fi fans with a side of googly eyed heated sexual tension between the leads to make romance fans happy. Although I loved the way it opened as we got to know Cyani and her warrior like temperament as she freed former slave Soren, I found the middle lulled a bit. Some of the presentation of the planet natives bordered a bit stereotypical but the story popped right back into gear as soon as they were up in space again. I loved the twists and turns regarding Soren's family and home and Cyani's as well and found myself happily flipping pages to figure out how they were going to get out of one crunch after another.

I read this for the February theme of virgin heroes and although Soren fit that nature, it was more implied with the way his people bonded for life. I loved that aspect and it fit here. Normally romances with this theme tend to feel forced but the way it's presented here, the leads are given a choice and choose to care for one another, without going overboard. Sometimes the push and pull of their feelings wore on a bit as it happened over and over but the balancing of the action and main storyline with complex characterization made it work.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how the world that Ms. Granger has created continues to grow. Looking at how BTR ended and how it will pick up for the next book, I'm dying to see a character I really liked has his own book for the next round. I can't wait to see how everything plays out!

February Author Spotlight on M.L. Lacy

I'm always excited to hear from and discover new and upcoming authors to spotlight here at AWD. This month we have an author who's been receiving rave reviews for her debut urban fantasy novel. I have her book in my TBR pile and I can't wait to get to it.

Author M. L. Lacy is a current Texan, a wife, mother of two sons, and the grandmother of three granddaughters. Recently she has added award winning author to her achievements list as she has garnered 1st Place for her novel Chrysalis: The Awakening Book 1 for the Science Fiction/Fantasy 2010 Spring Written Arts Award. Congratulations M.L.!

M.L. agreed to some fun grilling about her writing, her debut release and the writing process. Check it out after the jump!

Dusting off the 'ole webs!

Whew!

Finally have a moment to update and post.  Dusting off the ole cobwebs here...

Just a few quick updates. Feb newsletter should be going out. There's a new author spotlight coming up that you urban fantasy fans out there would love to check out. Due to some reader requests, I'm going to be making some autographed copies of A Kiss of Ashen Twilight available on my website, direct for purchase. There will also be some for giveaways since I finally got a shipment in (woo hoo!).

I'm diving back into reading to keep me sane in between working. I also still have a short story or two to finish before I start on the historical project. I'm not sure if it'll be strictly YA but since the protagonist is a young girl in the 1700s, it may apply. Hopefully, it'll be a nice crossover for both adults and younger ones. ;-)

Stay tuned!