Heartless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Excellent! I managed to get my hands on an ARC of Heartless a bit prior to release date. I also purchased the paperback because I like collecting the covers. I love this series so much that this is also one for which I buy the audiobooks. The reader is wonderful! I wanted to say awesome but, I have been told by my sister that this word is being overused so I have to find an alternate word for awesome and amazing. Hard work that is really. I am overdue for this review and I have to buy the audiobook because they tend to run a bit behind the physical copies. I hope they have it so I can purchase it for listening during my overseas trip.

Heartless is the follow-up to Blameless where things hit the fan with Alexia's pregnancy. She's back in London and extremely pregnant. Things have gone haywire with the vampires and their reaction to her pregnancy and these machinations go to the very top of their organization. There are a lot of surprises in this book related to Alexia's friendships and I think despite her being soulless she sure seems to draw people to her, even if it is just because she is needed for her help. I am not positive if her group is what people refer to as The Ton but, it seems like that might be the case and that group of people sure are gossipy.

Speaking of shake-ups. There is also a huge change with the werewolves. Boy, did I not see that happening. Gail Carriger sure does have a great imagination and she really does immerse herself in the world of Steampunk. Just take a look at her Tweets and her website. If there is anything Steampunk related you can bet she has a finger on the pulse of it. I am eagerly awaiting not only Timeless but also the first of The Finishing School series.

Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusing.blogspot.co...

Better Off Undead by D.D. Barant

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This series just gets better and better. I am thinking the alternate, swapped realities, in this series is really original. I have not read all there is out there in the Urban Fantasy genre but, I have not seen anything like it and I love it. I put off reading this latest book for a while and then I began it and within the first few minutes I wished I had not put it off.

I forgot how funny D. D. Barant is, even when he is writing the most kick-butt scene. Yes, I said he. I really thought the author was a woman. I realized the other day, while thoroughly enjoying this book, that I did not follow the author on Twitter or Facebook so I went in search of a site or handle for these social media sites for D. D. Barant. What did I find but information that indicates that D.D. is a man. I went almost 4 entire books thinking this woman sure is a good author. How can the author be a man? Well, could it be my hanging out with my dad, cousins and uncles so much growing up means I missed a cue? Or, could it be that he is so good at what he does that it was not even noticeable? The second one is my vote.

D. D. Barant's Bloodhound world and, Jace's introduction to that world, was such a shock for her that she says and behaves in the most obnoxious fashion and it usually is attributed to her transition. She's good at her job and maybe that also dictates that she is forgiven a lot. Her witty banter with Charlie is some of my most favorite moments in the books. Despite how kick-butt she appears people are drawn to her and really like her.
I love that all the books do not center on the same essential mystery which drew her to this world in the first place. There is great mystery and even better magic and action scenes and each book stands on its own. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Review can also be seen on http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...

Trance by Kelly Meding

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Okay, I rarely read a book that totally enthralls me. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the e-Arc through a program with the publisher since the official release date is 10/25/2011. Though I am a huge fan of X-Men I don't read comics or many superhero stories. Trance is a good story with so many twists and turns that I knew this morning that regardless to how many pages left for me to read I would be finishing this book today. I had to know the answer to the mystery.

Trance is a great book and I have already recommended it to my online bookclub and posted about it to Twitter. My biggest fear was that when I was only 1/4 through the book I began raving on Twitter. What if I changed my mind after further reading? What if the author did not continue with the same writing style or somehow the story got lost? There are some things that kept striking me about the story that led me to write to Kelly Meding and ask a few questions. I will not go into the conversation because the results could possibly spoil the book for other readers. Suffice it to say that I had to stop and figure out what was keeping me glued to the book. Was it the story itself? At one point in the story I realized that it was the depth of the characters the author had described that I liked. Possibly I am just a different kind of reader and reviewer but, I cannot tell you how much Trance's response to the results of part of the Ranger's investigation resonated with me. This scene in the book and a few others showed the gift that Kelly Meding has with characterization. I did love the different superhero gifts Gage, Renee, Marco, Theresa (Trance), William, and Evan displayed.

The other Rangers have stories that it looks like will be the subjects of the future installments in the series. So much was found and lost in this book that it was heartbreaking even without having gotten to know some of the 12 Ranger children as they tried to reunite. Trance demonstrates that a person can still find their place in the world even after multiple mis-steps. This story does have some romance in it which anyone who reads my reviews knows is not really my thing. What is nice about this story is the way the story is told. It feels like a coming of age that was interrupted and continued much later. I cannot say the ending was what I would call happily ever after. I would call it satisfying and it left me looking forward to the next installment, The Changeling.

Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was pretty good. I love Greek mythology and despite being an adult I also enjoy YA urban fantasy books. Initially when I began reading the book I wanted a few things to be different about the relationship between Grace and her family and maybe it will be in the next book. It still works out well. Thane, interesting name for Grace's adopted brother, has a mystery background so far. It is going to be great and I hope it comes out pretty soon. There are several characters like Milo and Nick that you wonder what they know and if their role is bigger than it seems right now. So, there is some mystery to this story along with the action.

The author's take on Medusa was original and actually quite interesting. I especially like the lineage and history of Grace and the others. The story does have 3 different points of view or protagonists with their own stories, but, for some reason it felt more like Grace was more of the focal point of things. The writing was pretty good and the fight scenes were actually interesting if not a bit funny. There was a bit of humor with the girls and that made for an even better read.

I'll look for the next installment when it is released.

Review can also be read at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I want to read it all over again. It is a definite re-read for me. I have always been fascinated by the Jack The Ripper case. It feels so far removed and so many detectives and authors have tried to solve the case over the years. Actually, that is the one thing that I like about this story. It has its basis in The Ripper story but it is its own story. It starts off looking like it is one thing and turns into something so much more.

Without going too much into a synopsis that is already available if you click the link of the book, Rory is a transfer student completing her last year of high school in London at an academy or boarding school. Did I mention that I love mysteries and urban fantasies where the students live on the grounds like college students. The freedom is not as broad since they are minors but, as Rory is going to find out, London teens have a lot more privileges than American youth. Rory has a great opportunity, one that a lot of students dream of and it works a bit differently than being an exchange student where the student typically lives with a family. Her parents are smart lawyers and are a few hours away doing an exchange program of sorts as well.

Rory becomes very involved in The Ripper investigation. Her life goes into a tailspin of sorts and the danger is quite real. This is not so much a coming of age story as it is an adjustment to new surroundings. The great thing about that is we get to hear more about London's history while Rory is schooled on the proper way of understanding the difference between London, England and Great Britain and the United Kingdom. I never knew that! I love the colloquialisms that I've heard previous co-workers that work out of the Chelsea office use like, brilliant, when we might say sweet or awesome, or even cool. I enjoyed picturing the descriptions of the area where the academy was located. Maureen Johnson did a great job with the characters and with the imagery. I have a feeling this is a series, or at least I have my fingers crossed.

Review can also be seen at http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.c...