Friday, March 30, 2012

Follow Friday: 26


Welcome to Follow Friday Hosted 

By Parajunkee.com and Alisoncanread.com






Q: Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?




Of course I read more than one!  I've normally got 4-5 books going at one time. :P.  I blame this on the ADD and my attention span that is the same as a 5 year old's.  


** Sorry I've been gone so long.  I've been moving, so my primary energies have been to moving, and not FF.  Hopefully, I'll be more consistent starting next week! **


Happy Reading!


Cana

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Bewitching Blog Tour: Illicit Magic by Camilla Chafer





So today, we have the wonderful pleasure of interviewing Camilla Chafer, author of Illicit Magic.


PoR:  What do you do when you are not writing?

CC:  Mostly thinking about writing! But when I’m not doing that, I do love a good TV show especially paranormal or crime like Grimm or Covert Affairs, reading, and I’m trying to get fitter at the moment too. All that sitting in a chair and writing is taking its toll!

PoR:  Where do you get your ideas?

CC:  They pop into my head. It might be that I’m reading or watching something and I have a “what if?” moment. For example, with Stella in Illicit Magic, I had been thinking predominantly about two things: what if the witch hunts started again and it was real, and what would happen to a heroine who has her own power, rather than be simply powerless in a world of magic.

PoR:  I know there were certain aspects of your characters that I could really relate to. Of all your characters in your book, which character do you relate to the most?

CC:  There are parts of several of my characters that I can relate to. For example, no matter how scared and confused Stella gets, she’s really determined to move forwards and be in charge of her own destiny. She’s not particularly gung-ho but she will stand up and be counted. Etoile is a little snarky but very loyal. I wish I had Kitty’s bubbliness.

PoR:  Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?

CC:  Many of the characters from IM reappear in later books, some more than others. From the start I have been setting other themes into play – for example, there’s something that connects some of the character’s names that will be revealed in a later book and I’m intrigued to find out how that plays out.

PoR:  So, personally, I loved Evan, but is there one character that you absolutely couldn’t live without (or couldn’t kill) in your books?
CC:  I love Evan too. He’s a great guy once he loosens up. I have a lot of love for all my characters but not to the point where I could say they all survive everything. Sucky things happen, people get hurt. No one is safe and it needs to be that way otherwise it would be dull for the reader.
PoR:  Everyone has those moments where they feel uninspired or stuck. If or when you get writer’s block, what do you do to beat it?
CC:  Sometimes I just need to take a break, close my laptop and go and do something else, knowing that the ideas will come to me. I’ve even felt the fear that I’ve had an awesome idea but can I get it down perfectly on paper and that’s one of those times where I just have to buckle down and work through it. I’m a fan of time-lining as well. The way I do it is pretty simple: one long line with ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ top and tailing it, then I write lots of things that have to happen in a rough sequential order. I continually add to it as I’m writing and it really helps me know where the book is going.
PoR:  There was a lot of hinting about what characters were (vampire, daemon, witch, etc). What made you think that hinting about it was better than just revealing what they were?
CC:  I love to give readers an element of surprise so for a long time we – and Stella – don’t know what Evan is. We get hints there’s something not quite right about the elderly housekeeper… My world of witches is one with secrets and lies, half truths and suspicion. As Stella finds out the truths, so do we.
PoR:  RANDOM Question time! If you be any creature, person, magical being, etc, what would or who would you be?
CC:  Oh, this is a tough one! Being immortal would be amazing to see how the world changes but that would probably also bring a lot of sadness and grief… Hmm, you know, I’d probably be a witch. Magic could be a lot of fun!
PoR:  Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
CC:  If you’re looking for a book where the heroine isn’t a kick-ass knife-wielding heroine, but one who is nevertheless determined to be in charge of her in life while making sense of the secretive world of magic revealed to her, Illicit Magic is for you!
Thanks so much, Cana, for hosting me on this leg of my blog tour.



Description:


More than three hundred years after the most terrifying witch hunts the world has ever known, it's happening again. 

Young witch, Stella, has to put her faith in strangers just to stay alive but she might not be any safer in their midst than from the danger she is running from. 

There is more than one dark secret in her new family: Étoile’s sister is spoken of in fear and sadness; Marc is supposed to be a powerful witch but is missing his magic; where does the owner of their safe house vanish to every day and why does Evan have the eyes of someone not quite human? There is only one secret that someone will do anything to keep quiet, but whose secret is it and will Stella have to pay the price for silence? 




Amazon UK Top 10 contemporary fantasy bestseller
Amazon US Top 45 fantasy bestseller
Amazon US Top 50 contemporary fantasy bestseller






Excerpt:



Sharp, murmured voices passed me on the wind. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but there was the sound of confusion and dissent; then a barked order calmed them. I caught the sole word “silence” from a low voice as it hissed past me. The footsteps shuffled and stamped again but no one uttered a word. It was like they were all listening for me. I felt like a fox, terrified and cornered, knowing that the beagles were just behind me, waiting to catch my scent.
Above me I could just see the first quarter of the moon breaking in the sky, casting a dim glow over the city. My jacket was a dark padded cord, good for blending in with both the hedge and low light. My breath was catching like little puffs of cloud in the air so I pulled up my cheap, striped scarf and covered my mouth to keep the plumes from straying to where they could be seen.
Without moving the rest of my body, I strained my head towards my pursuers, the scarf tightening about my neck until I tugged it loose again. I tried to count how many footsteps I could hear as they shuffled, fanned out and regrouped.
With only my pounding heartbeat for company I waited for what seemed like eternity. I tried to count Mississippi’s to gauge the time but my mind stumbled over the count and I threw the thought away. I waited for seconds, minutes, hours for them to rush past me, or at least turn and stamp a different way, hoping miserably that they really hadn’t seen me dart into this street.
Finally I couldn’t hear a thing but the blood rushing in my ears. Had I made it up? Was I really paranoid enough to think someone would bother following me? Probably. Possibly. It wasn’t the first time I’d been extra cautious, but it was the first time since the news has been full of murder. I shivered and tried to shake away the icy fear.
Edging my way across the privet, the leather of my long boots brushing against each other as I sidestepped, my toes scuffed against the scrub of garden. Fronds of hedge needled my back through my winter coat as I brushed by and fresh drops of dew slid uncomfortably past my scarf and inside my collar.
With my mouth set in a firm, grim line, clamped so tightly shut I was close to grinding my teeth, I poked my head forward, mere millimetres from the hedge but enough to see a gloved hand shoot towards me and grab my coat, the fingers clawing at my shoulder to snatch a handful of material and drag me into the open. A gasp escaped me. How had they gotten so close without me realising? Another hand, yellowed at the fingertips and reeking of tobacco, reached for my neck.
A gruff male voice snarled, “Gotcha!”
I shrieked and my whole body went rigid as I closed my eyes tightly. The air went thick and heavy around me, the cold momentarily disappeared and the blood in my veins surged as electricity crackled through my body. For the merest second all the low light and dull sounds of the city disappeared as the power rushing through me overwhelmed and took possession of me.
With the hand at my neck and the fear pumping alongside the electricity, I thought I would die in this moment, but when I opened my eyes again I was on the other side of the street, looking at my attacker grasping at the air where a second ago my neck had been. I saw his fist punch savagely through the air where my jaw should have been. If I had still been there, he would have smashed it for sure.
I felt dizzy and willed myself not to faint. The last of the shriek ebbed in my throat as I realised that I had barely focused on the task but had ended up exactly where I thought I should be when I’d glimpsed that section of empty street. Perhaps my strange gift (I never could decide what I should call it) only worked properly when I was terrified. Moving through space wasn’t something I had even been able to control before. And right now, I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was absolutely, gut-wrenchingly, terrified.



Author:



Hi, I'm Camilla and I'm the author of the Stella Mayweather Series, an urban fantasy/mystery. The series starts with Illicit Magic and a lonely young woman, Stella, who has been caught up in a terrifying witch hunt and is whisked thousands of miles away to what she thinks is safety to learn her craft. The series is a blend of magic, mystery and romance with a splash of humour - and while the girls really do go all out to save themselves, there's always a hunky guy or two on hand to help them out. The series continues with Unruly Magic and Devious Magic, both out now.

I live in London, England, but I try to travel as often as I can – I’ve been all over the US and Europe. In my day job I'm a journalist and editor so I write for magazines, newspapers and websites throughout the world (my favourite assignment was spending a week riding rollercoasters - if you listen carefully you can probably still hear me screaming) but writing fiction has always been my first love.

Web links:

Twitter: @camillawrites



Review:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I thought this book was good.  It had some of my favorite things: Magic, cute mysterious man, and the discovery of one's self.  

Stella is an interesting character.  I must admit, that at first I found her dull and a bit whiny about how her life is going.  It wasn’t till she got to the safe house that I actually started to like her.  I think that was because she finally started to show some actual likeable characteristics, plus she wasn’t so whiny about what was going in her life.

Evan… Hmmm, what to say?  Honestly, I think he was the best character in the book. I think that he was a bit of a hardass that finally realized that he needed a good woman to snap him out of it.  I loved how he kind of courted her without the pressure of getting into bed.  I do want to know what happened to him… Better be answered in the next book! 

The only thing that I really hated in the book:  the ending.  What the hell?!?!?!?  To me it wasn’t a great ending.  It was like Stella had just given up and was hiding without any real reason.  It was kind of like the story had just run out of steam.  And why couldn’t Stella just have stayed on the stairs watching and waiting?

Overall, this was a good book.  There are some definitely predictable points that, while I was surprised by the who, I wasn’t surprised that it was what actually happened.  I loved that Stella was in London (I'm an Anglophile, so that made me happy).  As I said, I do think this is a good book for the fun of it, and I do recommend it.  I'm looking forward to reading some of this series, and other books by Ms. Chafer's books.  



Happy Reading!


Cana

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: 




Description:


Everything is in ruins. 


A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them. 


So what does Araby Worth have to live for? 


Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all. 


But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does. 


And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.


Coming out on April 24, 2012


Why?

  1. Post plague that has almost destroyed the world, with a almost flash back in time that sounds so much like a speakeasy.  Almost steampunk like to me.
  2. The whole premise sounds interesting.  Though I wouldn't be surprised if they throw in a vampire or something supernatural.  The title just screams "Blood sucker!", but we will see when it is published. 
  3. The cover is beautiful.  The grays, whites and blacks with the red mist and the red dress are so eye catching.  

What are you waiting for?  

Happy Reading!


Cana

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward

Description:


Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either. 

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul. 

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.



My Review:


Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


So this is not just a story of Payne and Manny, but also of Vishous and Jane.  Again, we see the story of Vishous and Jane played out.  This time, they have a lot of problems, one that might not have come up during the previous books, especially based on their “whirlwind romance”.  In a lot of ways, this made it hard to read the book.  I was hoping to read more about Payne and to see more of a story development on her and her love life.  Instead this book felt to be a sequel to Lover Unbound (not a bad thing, just not exactly what I wanted). 

Payne is an amazing character.  Determined to take control of her life in her way, she makes you want to live your life to the fullest.  But this type of personality also leads to a lot of heartbreak and misconceptions.  At the very beginning, the need to walk or she would commit suicide was heartbreaking. 

Manny involved in this story leads to a whole lot of revelations: Payne’s gifts, Manny’s relation to the Brotherhood and Butch, and his on background.  I will admit that I didn’t really like Manny in Lover Unbound, but I really did like getting to know his character in this book.  He wasn’t as much of a cocky bastard as I first thought. 

One good thing about this book, is the added potential conflict in this book.  With the entrance of a rogue band of vampires that were formerly lead by the Bloodletter, you can bet in future books that you will get to see a lot of conflict, not only with the lesser but also with the Black Dagger Brotherhood. 

There are of course some things that irritated me.  Jane seemed to be whiny, Vishous seemed to be extra whiny PLUS his “wound warrior” act was a pain; Payne in her determination to escape her mother, even if it meant through her death, and then there was Manny’s determination to booze his way through life without Payne was irritating.  There are ways to make a story move on without whiny, wounded, suicidal, and drunk characters.

Overall, I think this is a good book, and it is worth the read, especially if you have read the other books in the BDB series.  



Happy Reading!


Cana

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Description:


A year ago, Cal Thompson was a college freshman more interested in meeting girls and partying than in attending biology class. Now, after a fateful encounter with a mysterious woman named Morgan, biology has become, literally, Cal’s life. 
Cal was infected by a parasite that has a truly horrifying effect on its host. Cal himself is a carrier, unchanged by the parasite, but he’s infected the girlfriends he’s had since Morgan. All three have turned into the ravening ghouls Cal calls Peeps. The rest of us know them as vampires. It’s Cal’s job to hunt them down before they can create more of their kind. . . . 


Bursting with the sharp intelligence and sly humor that are fast becoming his trademark, Scott Westerfeld’s novel is an utterly original take on an archetype of horror.


My Review:



My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life has never been the same for Cal after he had sex with some strange girl.  First time he has it, and he gets an STD that turns people into “vampires”, which is just an old fashion term for people infected with parasites.  Now, Cal must hunt down all the women he has infected, while trying to track down the woman who infected him. 
I loved this book.  I loved how Mr. Westerfeld wrote his version of the vampire.  But it wasn’t just vampires, but also a whole secret society with these vampires, one that is as old as time and is underground the cities that we know. 
A whole other spin on the vampire myth:  Vampires are humans infected with a parasite that starts to change their personality, preferences, and such.  The peeps now prefer red to raw meat, have increased senses, and are horny as hell. 
Hmm, the relationship between Lace and Cal was amazing.  Lace is skeptical, and Cal is struggling to control his horniness (Rubber band on the wrist thing sounds painful and funny all at the same time!). 
I loved how every other chapter was sort of educational on parasites.  You wouldn’t believe how many parasites there are, and how wide and varied they are.  Kind of amazing actually.  I also like how it points out that our world isn’t free of parasites in a world that is so proud of overcoming so many diseases. 
In a lot of ways, it scared me from being around by cats… It is like when you wake up and you see them staring at you.  Yep, there were a few nights where this book really did a number on me… But I guess it is a good book if it makes you think: “What if?”
Overall, I think this is a great book, and I highly recommend it. 



Happy Reading!


Cana

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

Description:


Plagued by waking visions and nightmares, inexplicably drawn to the bones of dead animals, Faye thinks she's going crazy. Fast. Her parents beleive Holbrook Academy might just be the solution. Dr. Mordoch tells her it's the only answer. But Faye knows that something's not quite right about Dr. Mordoch and her creepy, prisonlike school for disturbed teenagers. 


What's wrong with Holbrook goes beyond the Takers, sadistic guards who threaten the student body with Tasers and pepper spray; or Nurse, who doles out pills at bedtime and doses of solitary confinement when kids step out of line; or Rita, the strange girl who delivers ominous messages to Faye that never seem to make any sense. What's wrong with Holbrook begins and ends with Faye's red hands; she and her newfound friends--her Holbrook "family"--wake up every morning with their hands stained the terrible brown of dried blood. Faye has no idea what it means but fears she may be the cause. 


Because despite the strangeness of Holbrook and the island on which it sits, Faye feels oddly connected to the place; she feels especially linked to the handsome Kel, who helps her unravel the mystery. There's just one problem: Faye's certain Kel's trying to kill her--and maybe the rest of the world, too. 


My Review

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Honestly, I am just not sure what to say about this book.  I borrowed this book from a fellow blogger, and I had desperately wanted to read it because of the beautiful cover and the synopsis (which sounded pretty self-explanatory).  But when I finally finished the book, the only feelings I had were disappointment that the book wasn’t as good as I had hoped, and confusion, because so much still remained unexplained. It isn’t that it is a bad book, but it isn’t what I would list under the absolutely amazing category either. At best, this book is average.  At worst, it is just one of the most confusing books I’ve read recently. 

So, let’s first focus on what I liked, what was enjoyable about the book. 

First, I liked how the author incorporated the Red Paint People into a modern apocalyptical story.  The fact that she gave an explanation that was reasonable in both a fantastical and an intellectual way is to be applauded. 

Second, I liked her twist between Kel and Faye.  I had my own idea on who Kel was, and who Faye was.  The way she changed who I thought they were, giving clues but not enough to guess correctly was kind of cool.  I like a good twist, especially one that I’m not expecting. 

Finally, I liked her underlying theme of taking care of the earth, what the results might be if we don’t.   Actually, the picture that she paints is extremely frightening.  Riots, a treeless existence, food rations, lack of clean water, and such are all such terrifying ideas.  Would we actually be able to survive it all?  Or would the way our society has shaped us effect our survival?  Would humanity die out? 

So what did I not like?

I didn’t like how I was confused with exactly what was going on in the novel for almost the entire time.  The only reason I finished reading it was to (hopefully) clear up my confusion.  With being given such little background story and what we were given was given piecemeal, it was hard to understand the world Faye and her Family lived in.  It wasn’t even until the middle of the book that I even realized that something wasn’t “right” with the characters of the book.  And all of this really colored my view. 

Overall, what do I think of this book?  I’m not satisfied with it, and I wish that it had been better.  Do I recommend it?  Maybe.  As I said before, I’m still just not sure about this book, but I think you should give it a chance.  



Happy Reading!


Cana

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: ExtraNormal by Suze Reese

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: 




Description:


Mira Johns is pretty much like any other teenage girl. Except that she knows how to harness electro-magnetic energy to communicate without words. And she's really, really far from home. Her assignment as an emissary to Earth sounds fairly simple: blend in, observe, and stay away from the planet’s primitive males. But after she finds one mysterious boy too irresistible for stupid rules, she realizes the real reason she's supposed to keep her distance: mates from her world can die if separated. But a series of serious accidents make it clear that someone wants to force her return. Mira decides her only hope is to uncover the truth to why she, the most mediocre of candidates, was actually chosen for this assignment—before the agency discovers her secret and sends her back home.


Coming out on April 5, 2012


Why?

  1. An alien emissary with special powers?  How cool is that?
  2. Mystery, cute boy who is mysterious, she is suppose to blend in, job is in danger... Sounds exciting
  3. The title is honestly what caught my attention.  
  4. The cover is pretty neat.  The overlay of colors and the two hands tied together from 2 people. Very interesting.

What are you waiting for?  

Happy Reading!


Cana

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Thorn and The Blossom

Description:


One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .

The Thorn and the Blossom
 is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.



My Review:






The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from a friend, and let me tell you, it was completely worth it!  The best thing about this book is the accordion style binding.  Read one side, and then flip it over and read another.  I loved how I was able to read two points of view at the same time.  The second best thing about the book?  The Celtic myth intertwined in this book!  I love the greenman and any Celtic myth, so the fact of how Ms. Goss intertwined this into the story was great!

I loved Ms. Goss’ play on names.  The Blossom is Evelyn, but her middle name is rose.  It is also very close the name of the heroine of the Arthurian tale.  And Brendan Thorne is (of course) the thorn of the story.  This is not to say that he is the “thorn in the side” kind of character.  Actually, both Evelyn and Brendan each have a “thorn in the side”; Evelyn with what she thinks is her psychosis and Brendan with his wife.

I found it interesting how this story doesn’t end with a happy ending.  There is what I’d like to call a contentment ending.  This just means that both characters find a contentment that leaves the book at a type of resolution without ending the book on a cliffhanger or a neatly tied up bow. 

With the intertwined story of Gwain and his lover and Evelyn and Brendan, you can be sure that you are not misinterpreting it when you feel déjà vu.  Feed into those assumptions, and you will be glad you did.

Overall, I find this book to be delightful and a must for anyone to read.  But the key to enjoy this book the most: Must be a “real” book – No E-books allowed for this one! 

I highly recommend this book. 



Happy Reading!


Cana

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Lover Mine by J. R. Ward

Description:


John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown. Taken in by The Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was-or his true identity. 


Xhex has long steeled herself against the attraction to John Matthew. Until fate intervenes and she discovers that love, like destiny, is inevitable.


My Review:




My rating: 4 of 5 stars

HOT! HOT! HOT!  That is what I have to say about this book!  Xhex and John Matthew make you crave that they would just get to the hot sex and get their heads out of their asses and out of their pasts that are weighing them down.  I loved how Ms. Ward intertwined Xhex and John Matthew (AKA Darrius) and their lives. Getting the background on both Darrius/John Matthew and Xhex as we see their current life compared to their pasts was great. It explained so much on why they were attracted to each other.  Plus, there are definite bonus points on the surprise for Xhex at the end!

There was definite character development and potential love square (Is there such a thing?) between Qhuinn and Blay.  Even the “vision” that happened, has you wondering what the heck is coming up in the future books… Though I will admit that Qhuinn sure as heck annoyed me with all his whining!  He put himself in this situation, he should accept it!

I loved the resolution with Lash.  It was needed so badly, but it really finalized it all in a nice little wrapped up package.  This is not to say that I liked how it ended.  It seemed almost too good to be true with the ending. 

Another great resolution was with Torhment.  He was brought back in the previous book, but now we actually get to see the beginning of the healing process.  But it isn’t easy (which does make it more realistic), and it isn’t completely resolved. 

Overall, this is a good book, and I did enjoy it thoroughly.  I’m definitely looking forward to reading more by Ms. Ward. 



Happy Reading!


Cana

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Virtual Book Tour Stop: A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang

Photobucket




Description:

Just when her new life as a TouchStone – a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds – seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed. 

The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding eleven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.





Excerpt:


Chapter 1

“Run, Abby.”

Sonja’s warning slid around me with a wash of power. Startled, I shot up from where I huddled beneath a cluster of fallen logs, decayed bark scattering as a set of claws shredded my hiding place. I ducked, the sharpened talons slicing the air with a deadly whistle.

Grinding my teeth, I narrowed my eyes and concentrated, letting my own form shift. Small, furry, fast . . .

Hare.

The Dreaming rippled. I bounded away, sleek and long, haunches bunching and then springing forward to propel me into the darkness. Sonja’s low growl of frustration echoed behind me. I didn’t know exactly what form she’d taken, but my rapidly twitching nose instantly recognized the acrid scent of something feline.

The urge to go to ground vibrated through my little body, but I pushed forward, leaves sliding beneath my paws. All around me were shadows as my nails dug into the moist earth. The scenery blurred past in a haze of ragweed and pine trees, needles brushing my fur. I couldn’t hear Sonja anymore and I paused, my ears rotating to cup the darkness.

The faintest breeze caught my attention, and I instinctively flattened against the grass as Sonja swooped past, this time in the shape of a barred owl.

She wheeled, but I bolted, aiming for the tinkling stream nearby. Shedding the last vestige of the hare, I leapt toward the surface, my skin sluicing into scales as I slithered into the depths. My gills opened to shunt out the water, gravel scraping my pink salmon belly.

“Good! Very good.” Sonja applauded from the banks. The succubus had shifted into her more human form, the bloodred feathers of her wings shining in the moonlight of the Dreaming. Her skin had an alabaster purity that could never be matched by anything mortal. Between the hidden depths of her dark eyes and the scarlet wings, she seemed more fallen angel waif than daemon seductress. “You can come out now, Abby. I think that’s enough for tonight.”

My tail flicked me through the current as I changed again, pulling together the part of what made me, me. Emerging from the water, I squeezed the drops from my hair and pushed it from my face. “I’m getting better.” I wrapped the Dreaming around me until I was dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt.

Sonja nodded cautiously, smoothing out the wrinkles of her own tank dress. “You are, but you’re still barely tapping your potential.” She gestured around us with a hint of irritation. “These are your Dreams. You limit yourself to your own sense of physics. Becoming a rabbit was fine and you’ve certainly improved your shifting ability—but why not change the ground, or the trees?” She yanked on a damp ringlet of my hair. “Why waste time with this when you could instantly dry it? If you’re ever going to really, truly defeat your nightmares, you’re going to need more than just a few parlor tricks.”

“I don’t think that way. You know that. We’ve been through this how many times now?” I concentrated on the water flowing over my toes before giving her a wan smile. “Have patience with me. I’m new to this.” One dark brow rose at me sourly, but she let the lie pass without comment.
In truth it had been over six months—six very long months. She was frustrated, I was frustrated. I’d been banging my head against the metaphysical equivalent of a brick wall in my attempts to break free from the confines of everything I’d ever known in an effort to make sense of the dark shadows of my inner psyche—which often took the form of vicious, man-eating sharks.

My nightmares certainly hadn’t paid the slightest bit of attention either way.

If it hadn’t been for a certain incubus awakening me to the existence of the Dreaming nearly eight months ago, I would have continued to experience my familiar nightly cycle of waking up from the intimate practice of having the flesh shredded from my bones. That should have meant something.

On the other hand, sometimes ignorance really was bliss. Discovering that I could visit the place where my dreams occurred was one thing. Being told I could potentially bring my nightmares to life was something else entirely.

I understood Brystion’s motivation of having his sister teach me the finer points of  Dreaming—we weren’t exactly dating anymore, and my chances of focusing long enough past the hurt of his
leaving was a bit of a toss-up. I couldn’t argue against the need to control myself better, though I wasn’t sure Sonja saw me as anything more than a chore.

Still. The faint scent of the sea rolled past us as though to emphasize the point and I shuddered. Dreams or not, I had no wish to see the sharks again anytime soon.

The succubus sighed at my woeful expression. “You’ll get there. You just need to concentrate.”

I waggled my nose, annoyed. I might not quite grasp everything she tried to teach me, but I wasn’t completely ignorant. “Is that all there is to it, Endora?” My eyes narrowed as I stared at her, the power rushing through me, a thin rivulet of the Dreaming taking form in my mind.

A small change, perhaps.

The succubus glanced over her shoulder with a surprised laugh. Her scarlet wings now gleamed a brilliant purple. “Not bad,” she admitted, ruffling them with a shiver, a flush of crimson staining them back to their normal shade.

Her face sobered. “But seriously, Abby. You have enough potential to make a first-class DreamWalker. With the right training, you’d be able to slip in and out of the Dreaming at will—and not just into your dreams, but into others as well.”

“Planning on having me go all Dom Cobb on someone? Let me dig up a top.” Despite my words, I couldn’t even begin to grasp the sort of power that might take. Hell, I could barely manage to keep from being devoured by my own nightmares—and I knew what caused them. What would my chances be against someone else’s private despair? It wasn’t any of my business, anyway.

She picked up a stick, sketching out a series of circles on the ground. “Nearly everything that sleeps visits the Dreaming in one form or another. Whether they remember it or not is another story, but I’m sure you’ve heard of people who have prophetic dreams or astral body projections or some such?”

“Well, sure. But the one time I actually attempted to leave the Dreaming without waking up, I ended up getting lost on the CrossRoads. And attacked by daemons.” I frowned at her. The silver roads granted passage between the mortal realm and Faerie and I’d never really figured them out. “Brystion was pissed.”

She waved me off. “And rightfully so, but you wouldn’t be on the CrossRoads for this. Here . . . each circle represents a single person’s Dreaming Heart. Let’s say this one is yours.” She tapped the one closest to me. “Now, the Heart of your Dreaming is sacred space, particularly for mortals. No one can enter it without permission.” Her mouth pursed.“Or in my brother’s case, invitation?”

I scowled at her. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Indeed. Anyway, that’s a bit more than the average sleeping person would normally allow, but people who are close to each other tend to form bonds . . .” She drew a few squiggles from my circle to the ones closest around it. “Friends and family, perhaps. Lovers.” Her eyes met mine with a hint of amusement. “TouchStones. As a Dreamer, you could follow these pathways into their dreams.”

I shuddered in distaste as visions of accidentally stumbling into Phin’s personal unicorn-porn theater crossed my mind. “And what about enemies? Could they traverse those bonds to me?”

“It is possible,” she admitted. “But that’s one of the reasons why you need more training.” She gestured at the thick iron gate surrounding my Heart. “The unwary have their own defenses built in—but Dreamers have defenses of a different sort at their disposal. The Dreaming itself can become a weapon if you know how to use it.”

“Ah. Yeah. You know, I’m not really trying for that sort of thing.” I had no desire to become any sort of neoshaman and messing with people’s dreams was tricky stuff. “I’ll stick with the blue pill, thanks.”

“Suit yourself, but you might change your mind someday.It wouldn’t hurt to at least understand the basics.” She held out a hand to help me out of the stream, and we slowly ambled in the direction of my Heart. The inner sanctum of my dreams lay behind the gate in the form of the old Victorian I’d grown up in. Brystion had told me it couldn’t be breached—as long as I stayed within its confines, I would be safe. Even from him.

I scanned the dark forest behind the house. My former lover had made good on his promise to be scarce and I’d barely seen any sign of him, short of the occasional sound of bells echoing like some distant memory through the trees. The few times we’d run across each other at the Hallows nightclub had been polite, if a bit strained. I didn’t usually hang around to listen to him sing, and he avoided flaunting whoever his latest TouchStone was to my face, a fact for which I was utterly grateful.

The whole point of TouchStones was to give OtherFolk the ability to stay in the mortal world without limitations . . .and to travel the CrossRoads at will, usually in return for some sort of gift. The sacred bonds between mortals and OtherFolk didn’t always involve sex, but in his case it had to. Knowing that didn’t make it hurt any less. Knowing that after six months he probably wasn’t going to come back to me hurt a lot more.

Sonja arched a brow at me and I flushed. “Have a good night. We’ll try again tomorrow.” I waved at her, watching as she passed through the gate to fade away in a slurry of silver. I often wondered how she could manage the CrossRoads directly like that, but Brystion had the same talent.

I reached out and stroked the gate with a curious finger, the rusted metal flaking into my hand. Physics or not, it still seemed so real here. And as far as confronting my nightmares. . .

I glanced over at the rocky path that led to the sea. So far I’d managed to keep the worst of the memories at bay. It was chickenshit of me, but the worse the memory, the larger the shark. I wasn’t any sort of hero to go facing them down. The sharks paid no mind to my efforts. They would continue to lurk in all their sharp-toothed glory, regardless.

“Always the coward.” I rubbed my face before shutting the gate and locking it tight. I didn’t mind keeping it open when I was here, but now that I knew there were other beings actually wandering around in the Dreaming, I disliked leaving it gaping in my absence.

The fact that I might have been locking the incubus inside didn’t bother me so much. He certainly could make his own way through if he wanted to. My gaze drifted over the thick cluster of hemlock behind the garden and the heady taste of jasmine suddenly grew heavy on my tongue. I took a step toward the trees, the scent growing stronger.

Brystion.

Tempted, I gave the darkness a wry smile. “No games tonight.” And I meant it.

The one time I’d actually given in, I’d wandered for hours, emerging to find myself richer only by the number of brambles stuck in my hair. I debated mooning the woods, but in the end I merely entered the house, gently closing the door behind me. And if I thought I caught my name whispered
on the breeze, I chose not to acknowledge it.

Poke.

Something sharp prodded my back. Bleary, I shifted away from it.

Poke.

“Phin, if that’s you, you’d better have a damn good reason for pulling me out of my training.” I yawned the words and attempted to roll over.

“I thought you might want to know he’s awake again.” The cat-size unicorn clambered over my hip to dig his cloven hooves into my thigh.

“And he won’t go to sleep for you?”

“Abby, in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have hands. But I do have teeth, so unless you want that delicious ass of yours blemished, I suggest you get your butt out of bed. Little angel wants his mamma.”

I groaned. Normally Talivar took the night shift but he’d gone to Faerie before I’d crashed. Apparently he hadn’t returned yet. Some bodyguard. “What time is it?” I cracked an eye at the clock—4 a.m.

Shit.

“Fine. But I’m not his mamma.” I sat up and snarled when my toes hit the chilly floor.

“You’re the only thing here with tits. Close enough.” Phineas grinned, wriggling under the warmth of the sheets I left behind. “Mmm . . . cozy,” he said with a sigh.

“Don’t push your luck.” I glared at him, gathering my robe around my shoulders. Sure enough, now that I’d managed to pull myself out of the hazy state between awake and Dreaming, I could hear Benjamin’s wailing cry down the hallway. “I’m not sure I get paid enough for this,” I muttered. But who was I kidding? Moira said jump, and I jumped. Why should the job stop at a little thing like child care? Especially when it came to the Faery princess’s son.

I padded down the hall with a yawn. “I’m coming, sweetie.” I winced as his voice jumped two notches from slightly pissy to full-on megahowl. Upon entering the room and switching on the nightlight, the reason was quickly evident. Wedged up in one corner of the crib, Benjamin had
managed to get one of his limbs wrapped around the bars. The fact that the limb in question was a neatly feathered wing made very little difference to the furious little eyes peering at me from a squinched-up face.

Angel, indeed. Spitting image of his father.

Startled by how much he looked like Robert when he thrust out that chin, I tsked at him soothingly, gently extricating the wing without knocking any feathers loose. His volume lowered about two decibels and I picked him up to rest his head on my shoulder. He snuffled, dark hair damp against my neck, his mouth rooting to take hold of my collarbone. “That time again, is it?” I patted his back and covered him with a blanket, starting up what had become a twice-nightly ritual of pacing.

This time Benjamin wasn’t having any of it, though. I quickly changed his diaper for good measure and then the two of us headed into the kitchen so that I could warm up a bottle. I continued rocking side to side as the pot on the stove heated up. My enchanted fridge always had his milk in good supply, though what it was, I wasn’t entirely sure. Moira wouldn’t hear of giving him mortal formula, but I’d never actually seen her carrying a breast pump either. In the end, I supposed it didn’t matter. Whatever it was seemed to keep him healthy and it’s not as if I’d even know where to begin to find food for a half-angel/half-Fae child anyway. Based on the amount the little booger was going through, I could only imagine his metabolism was higher than a mortal child’s, although his somewhat limited development was troubling. At eight months, a human baby would have been at least starting to wean, and certainly wouldn’t require two feedings a night. On the other hand, human babies couldn’t fly, so maybe the comparison was unfair.

Two weeks ago, Moira had been called away to the Faery Court to give her testimony about Maurice’s betrayal. Consumed by jealousy, Maurice had concocted an elaborate scheme to remove his former lover from power in a last-ditch bid to land himself a place in Faerie—a plan I had somehow managed to thwart, although that was mostly just dumb luck on my part. Of course, the offshoot of that had nearly been my death, so it wasn’t like I’d gotten away unscathed.

Undoubtedly I was on his ultimate shitlist, but I’d been spared the testimony requirement and acquired a bodyguard in the form of Moira’s brother, so some things had worked out. On the other hand, staying behind meant I had to run things on my own—including the task of being Benjamin’s
nanny.

Talivar had been happy enough to take the night shift, but when the infant had sprouted wings a few days ago, the prince had decided it was worth the risk of leaving us behind to tell his sister directly.

Regardless of what Moira had told me, the knowledge of who was Benjamin’s father wasn’t for public consumption,but feathers would be hard to hide for too long.

Benjamin began to whimper. The bottle was nearly warm now, so I shushed him until it was the right temperature. I retreated into the living room, and curled up on the sofa. He smacked his lips at the sight of the bottle and suckled greedily. “Better be careful,” I warned him. “Keep eating like this and you’ll be too heavy to fly.”

If he heard my words, he ignored them, eyes closing in contentment. “Silly boy,” I murmured, shifting him so that he was crooked in my elbow. Now that his needs were fully taken care of, I blinked sleepily myself, my gritty eyes burning. “Not yet. Gotta get you all tucked in first, eh?” I glanced down at the pile of loose papers on the coffee table and turned the lamp to its dimmest setting, grabbing the top few sheets.

Might as well try to get some work in.

Dear Abby . . .

I rolled my eyes. Just my luck to be stuck with the same name as the columnist. I couldn’t recall exactly when the first letters started showing up, but shortly after the whole Maurice debacle, I began to find them. At first, they’d be randomly slipped under the door of the Midnight Marketplace, or even sometimes at the Pit, the used bookstore where I worked. I wasn’t foolish enough to think the letters were meant for me. Not really.

Moira was the Protectorate of Portsmyth. Part of her job was to oversee disputes and issues of the OtherFolk living here. As her mortal TouchStone, I was simply a conduit to possibly getting her attention faster.

But as I tentatively began to read the letters, Moira decided I could use the practice and allowed me to try to answer. Like a floodgate opening, they started showing up on my pillow, in my bathroom, taped to the fridge. I drew the line when I found the one in my underwear drawer.

Or really, Phineas blew a gasket.

“I don’t mind you having your hobbies,” he’d exploded at me that morning, “but goddamn if you could keep them out of your lingerie?”

Even aside from the fact that he wasn’t actually supposed to be in my underwear drawer  either, this was one time I agreed with him.

I formally set up a separate address at the Marketplace, with occasional diversions to the Hallows, and made it clear that any letters showing up in my sheets were going to be burned.

Still, the flow kept on here and there; how useful my answers were was up for debate.

I was hoping you could settle a little issue between me and this ghost I’m living with.

“Not bloody likely.”

I’m a brownie, and I used to work for Mr. Jefferson. Now, technically, brownies work until their chosen masters pass on and then we are set free. But in this case, Mr. Jefferson did not fully move into the light and his ghost haunts the place and refuses to let me go . . .

I groaned, placing the letter on the cushion beside me. I hated these kinds of questions. Not as much as the TouchStone or the star-crossed lover ones, but without knowing both sides of the story, how was I supposed to answer this?

Even if I meant well, there was no telling what the repercussions would be if I gave them the wrong advice. “Have to find a ghost whisperer, Benjamin.” Benjamin’s jaw was slack now, the nipple hanging off his lower lip, milk in the corners of his mouth. “All right, little man. Back to bed with you. And Auntie,” I amended as the front door creaked open.

“Here, I’ll take him.” Talivar emerged from the darkness with a quiet grace. The elven prince-cum-bodyguard had finally relaxed his rather minimal dress code of tunics and torcs a few months ago, even as he had relaxed his vigilance.

With a little shopping help from me, he had taken casual chic to an entirely new level.  Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, he cut a nice figure in the dim light, his long hair tied in a loose queue and a bit of hipster scruff on his chin setting off the strong jaw. Frankly, I found that the oddest thing about him, given that I’d always thought elves couldn’t actually grow facial hair, but I was hardly an expert.

Besides, I liked it.

The delicate points of his ears poked between the sable strands of his hair, silver hoops gleaming near the tips like tiny stars. He still retained the leather eye patch, though. My threats to glitter it up had been met with a slightly chilly smile, and in the end I’d decided to leave well enough alone.

“Ah. I didn’t hear you come in.” I peered up at him. “Good trip?”

“There is much to discuss, but I think it can wait until tomorrow.” He watched the baby, a strange expression ghosting over his face. “My sister wasn’t overly happy to hear about the wings, as you can imagine, but she’ll manage.”

I grunted, not really sure I cared about anything other than getting back to my bed. Not at this hour, anyway. “When do you think the trial will wrap up?”

He gently took Benjamin from me, cradling his nephew’s head with a careful hand. “Maurice is not being cooperative, as we suspected. His refusal to explain how he removed all that succubus blood is becoming most . . . vexing.” Talivar’s mouth compressed in a way that left little doubt that vexing probably wasn’t the word he was looking for, but it curved into a crooked smile a moment later as he shrugged at me.

“I don’t think it’s the removal so much as what he did with it.” Although probably insane on some level, Maurice had somehow discovered a way to use the blood of succubi in the form of paint. Which sounds harmless enough—until he used it on Moira and myself, among others, to trap us in portraits made of our own nightmares.

“No doubt. And Moira has given her testimony, but . . .” He hesitated. “Well, the truth is our mother is not doing as well as she might. Moira is keeping an eye on her.”

“Translation: Things are fucked,” I quipped with a sigh. “I already know where this is going.” Visions of raising Benjamin to his college years filled me with a weary sort of resignation.  “What are the chances I’ll be seeing Moira again before my Contract is up?”

“Well enough, I’m thinking. The Queen won’t keep her there forever.” Easy for him to say. Maybe six years didn’t seem like much to a nearly ageless elf, but it might as well have been forever as far as I was concerned.

“I still think we need to tell Robert. Benjamin is his son, and however uncomfortable that makes people, he should know. After all,” I said dryly, “who’s going to teach him to fly?”

Talivar shifted Benjamin to his shoulder and shook his head. “We do not recognize paternal claims in Faerie, Abby. All lineages are drawn through the mother. By that logic, I’m  actually more closely related to my nephew than Robert is.”

“Yeah, I can tell, what with those wings and all. Still makes no damn sense.”

“Yes, well, we’re a rather promiscuous bunch. We cannot trust our wives to be faithful, any more than our wives could trust us. At least this way I know my sister’s children are related to me. But my wife?” He shrugged at my raised brow, a wan smile on his lips. “My hypothetical wife, anyway. She could take a hundred lovers over the course of our marriage and I would have no right to gainsay her that.”

“And that doesn’t bother you? Knowing that you have no real acknowledgement of your own children?”

“Children are rare and precious to our kind. We tend not to look too closely at where they come from. Usually.” He looked down at the baby, his gaze distant. “And that, I think, is enough for one evening. Or morning, as the case may be,” he noted, glancing at the false dawn through the blinds. “I’ll tend to him now. Hopefully your rest wasn’t disturbed much.”

“Mmm . . . you’re assuming I like to be awakened by a horn half up my ass.”

“Probably depends on the horn.” A smirk crossed his face before he slipped through the kitchen and down the hallway to the baby’s room. I watched him go, rubbing my eyes again. He didn’t have Brystion’s blatant sexuality, but there was an ethereal beauty to him that sometimes stunned me.

A pang of sadness twisted in my chest and I told it to shut the hell up, ambling to my bedroom to try to catch a few more hours of shut-eye. Today was Katy’s eighteenth birthday, after all, and I had things to do—party plans to set in motion and her werewolf boyfriend to keep under control. My duties didn’t get put on hold simply because I had a messy personal life.

Phineas was unabashedly drooling on my pillow, his equine mouth half open. “Lovely.” I grimaced, snatching up a spare from the closet. I hunched beneath the blankets, wrapping them partway about my head as though I might shut out the memories.

The unicorn snuggled closer, making kissy sounds. I shoved him beneath the blanket. “You’re an ass. See if I make you any breakfast.”

“Be still my wounded heart,” he retorted. “However shall I manage without a plate of burned bacon?” There was a snuffling sound and a sigh, and then a miniature chainsaw
revving next to my ear.

Out of a perverse sense of revenge I nudged him with my shoulder. “I’ve got to try to find a ghost whisperer today, if I can. Remind me when you wake me up again.”

There was a sudden silence. On instinct, I jerked my backside away from him, peering out of my nest to catch his teeth clicking shut on the space where my ass had just been. The unicorn gave me a sour look. “Almost got you,”he mumbled, flopping onto his back with his legs spread obscenely.“Ask Charlie. She’s always talking to dead people.”

I frowned. I hadn’t spoken to Charlie in quite a while.

At least not about anything that didn’t end up being awkwardly. . . awkward. “Charlie as in ‘the girlfriend of the angel who cheated on her with my boss and whose baby I’m taking care of’?”

“Yeah.” His mouth pursed. “Hmm . . . I guess I could see where that might be a problem. Good thing I don’t have to talk to her.”

“Nice.” I slouched down and rearranged the blankets, rolling to the other side to keep my posterior out of range. “Whose side are you on anyway?”

“Thought you’d have figured that out by now.” He yawned, one eye cocking open to wink at me. “Mine.”

About the Author:

A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once.  She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists.

She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.

Author Links:

Borrowing Heaven, Subletting Hell Blog: http://mynfel.blogspot.com
Twitter: @allison_pang (also @phintheunicorn)


My Review:


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It has been almost a year since Abby helped save the world from Maurice.  She is learning to be a Dreamer, taking care of Benjamin and working hard for Moira.  The only thing that seems to be missing in her life is a love life. 
But things never stay quiet when the Four Paths are involved.  As someone tries to take control of the Protectorate position, the spell backfires and the Queen of the Fae shut down the Crossroads.  With no way to travel, the Fae start to fade away. 
Abby sees no choice but to force her way into the Fae Realm and confront the Queen to get her to open the Crossroads again.  With the help (and more) from Talivar and Brystion, she is going to get more than she bargained for and a knowledge about her pat that she could never dream of.

Have you ever read a book, and the first though in your head after reading the first chapter is “Holy crap, can this get any better?” And then it does!  Well, this book is that kind of book.  I thoroughly loved A Brush of Darkness, but I loved this book even more.  Now I would love to tell you exactly everything throughout this book, but that would be spoilers.  So I’ll do my best not to ruin it all and tell you what I loved about it.

So I just loved Abby in this book.  She is healing after loosing Brystion, but she also can’t help but think that she wouldn’t mind having Talivar as a lover (That kind of broke my heart.  It isn’t that I didn’t want her to be with Talivar, but I loved Brystion better).  Now she is the caretaker for the Protectorate’s child, but that is cute and funny, just because who want to be a caretaker for a baby with wings?  Not I.  All I can imagine is that I don’t envy the potty training experience there! 

Talivar was an interesting character to get to know.  Glimpsed briefly in the first book, I liked that I was able to get to know him better this book.  He seems to be a tortured soul who desires nothing but love and family.  Unfortunately, he is finds it harder than most to find it because of the scars he bears. 

I love how well Celtic mythology is used throughout this book.  Imagining True Thomas, the Fae castle, and the courts was almost everything I could think or imagine it to be.  I also loved the twists and turns that Ms. Pang included to help keep the story moving.  Some of it I never saw coming, so the surprises were very happily accepted.

The ending killed me!  And let me explain why:  Cliffhanger.  I’m reading along, enjoying the book, hating and admiring what Abby is doing, when I hit the “next page” button on my e-reader and it the page says: The next book is….  WHAT?  I mean, it was one of those freaking cliffhangers that make you want to jump up and down, while screaming and throwing things around (actually, I did all of those things, but nothing that would break!).  The only thing that prevents me from doing something truly crazy (like tracking down the author and shaking her around) is by realizing in 9 months (God willing and the creek don’t rise) the 3rd book will be out!

As a side note:  Can I just say, I loved this book, but I loved it better with the Doctor Who reference!  As a die hard Whovian, I respect and support any author who either is a fellow Whovian or can at least use a reference properly.  

As a whole, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it!  I can’t wait for the next book.


You can also see my review for A Brush of Darkness here.