Protect This House

OK, so I admit it, I’ve been feeling very pro-woman lately. And I found this latest promotion for Under Armour Women to be all kinds of female empowering awesome.

So I got to thinking about some of my favorite heroines in my reading of the last couple of years, and there’s just so many. Rachel Morgan of Kim Harrison’s Hollows series, how she rocks my little reading world. Kate Daniels of Ilona Andrews making. Raine Benares from Lisa Shearin. Elena Deveraux from Nalini Singh. October “Toby” Daye from Seanan McGuire. The latest one of my fave heroines – Catherine Hassi Barahal from Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic. SO many more!

Thank you, authors, for writing strong, capable and passionate women in your books.

Who are some of your most favorite female fictional characters? Which authorial creations rock your little reading world?

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ARC REVIEW: Cold Magic

Kate Elliott
Cold Magic (Spiritwalker #1)
ACE
ISBN-10: 0316080853
ISBN-13: 978-0316080859
Fantasy/steampunk
September 9, 2010

Blurb via publisher’s website:

From one of the genre’s finest writers comes a bold new epic fantasy in which science and magic are locked in a deadly struggle.

It is the dawn of a new age… The Industrial Revolution has begun, factories are springing up across the country, and new technologies are transforming in the cities. But the old ways do not die easy.

Cat and Bee are part of this revolution. Young women at college, learning of the science that will shape their future and ignorant of the magics that rule their families. But all of that will change when the Cold Mages come for Cat. New dangers lurk around every corner and hidden threats menace her every move. If blood can’t be trusted, who can you trust?

Oh man, I’ve been waiting to tell yall how much I loved this book for, oh, about a month. I’ve been sitting on my newly allotted Kate Elliott fangirl squee, trying to keep it busy, gave it some crayons and Barney coloring sheets — anything to keep from talking about this one hundred percent awesome book too soon. I can contain it no longer. Let the squee fly! (more…)

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REVIEW: Killbox

Ann Aguirre
Killbox (Sirantha Jax #4)
ACE
ISBN-10: 0441019412
ISBN-13: 978-0441019410
Science fiction
August 31, 2010

Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.

And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.

Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers — out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grimspace…

I didn’t think I was going to get this one read in time, but here we are, Sirantha Jax fans, past, present and future. And my God, what a fantastic ride it’s been, including this installment. Our last Jax book took place of Vel’s home plant of Ithiss-Tor, and while I liked that book, this one showcased the Jax I’d come to love. I’ll tell you what, if in this book’s future they need to revamp the definition of noble, I’ve got a gal named Sirantha Jax they can use to illustrate it. (more…)

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Year of the Historical: August Reviews

Well, there’s no hiding it or denying it. I’ve been absolutely horrible at my own reading challenge. My one saving grace? The year’s not over yet. Can I get, oh, about nine historicals read by the end of the year? It sounds easy, but only time will tell.

The book I had hoped to get read for this month’s YotH here at Lurv was Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang. It’s set just on the cusp of World War II, and it’s a fantasy with vamps and SS werewolves and an angel! I thought it’d be a win for me for sure. Once the two main characters came together, though, I felt so disappointed. The book became awkward and just..not enjoyable anymore. I’m afraid it became a DNF for me.

I started this challenge as a way to encourage myself to not give up on historical fiction, namely the romances I’ve loved reading so much more of in the past. I dunno, though. I’ve committed myself again to reviewing ARCs, and I feel I should put those at the front of the line, but they’re starting to form the entire line, too. That’s why I’d hoped Lady Lazarus would work out; I picked up the ARC for it at BEA back in May.

But enough excuses. There’s still time. Time, hopefully, for some historical reading before December 31st.

And now on to yalls reviews, and hopefully my lack of play here historical-wise hasn’t damped enthusiasm for the challenge. I’ve seen some folks who’ve said this isn’t really a challenge for them at their blogs, and that’s great! I’d love to be in that position! I’m glad somebody’s getting their challenge books read.

Feel free to share your review links, and thanks for taking up the challenge.

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Cover Spotlight: Darkly Reading YA

All books shown here were found via Amazon.com. As usual, the covers themselves may not be final. Blurbs, unless otherwise stated, were found at Amazon.com.

Get a load of this one – polygamous marriage makes an appearance in young adult fantasy! Sounds interesting, especially since it seems as if the heroine decides to take matters into her own hands. That’s what I’m talking about! We want strong heroines. Not doormats. Releases March 22, 2011. Check out the author’s site here.

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Releases January 1, 2011. And the YA apocalyptic/dystopian trend continues. I’m glad. I haven’t read enough of the genre itself yet, either YA or adult. Let’s keep some good ones coming – emphasis on the good.

I couldn’t find an author site, so if you know of one, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil-and worth killing for

Vera and her brother Will live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera and Will set off on a dangerous journey in search of him-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations. Timely and eerily familiar, acclaimed author Cameron Stracher makes a stunning YA debut that’s impossible to forget.

Releases January 25, 2011.Vampires in space? Sign me up. This sounds very interesting! Author’s site is here.

R. A. Nelson takes us on a supernatural thrill ride, a modern-day vampire story set on a NASA base and filled with space-and-science intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Emma feels cursed by her epilepsy—until the lost night. She’s shocked to wake up in the hospital one morning, weak from blood loss. When her memories begin to return, she pieces together that it was a man—a monster—who attacked her: a vampire named Wirtz. And it was her very condition that saved her: a grand mal seizure interrupted Wirtz and left Emma with all the amazing powers of a vampire—heightened senses, rapid speed—but no need to drink blood. Is Emma now a half-vampire girl? One thing soon becomes clear: the vampire Wirtz is fierce and merciless, feared even by his own kind, and won’t leave a job undone.

Releases February 8, 2011. Looks like the latest trend to come out of YA is the usage of former literary greats in a retelling style. I know there’s a couple such books I’m looking forward to. Visit Ty Roth’s site here.

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly’s ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly’s body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last “so Shelly” romantic quest. At least that’s what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly’s and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

Releases November 2, 2010. This one caught my eye because of the heroine being date raped. And then I just felt a need to post about it because the blurb alludes to her fighting back. Hell. Yes. Visit the author’s site.

Some schools have honor codes.

Others have handbooks.

Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself–you fight for it.

Releases February 22, 2011. I think I first saw this one a while back, but wanted to preserve it here for posterity. I loved the author’s first Black London adult urban fantasy, so I’m eager to see how she does YA. Visit her site here.

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft’s epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson’s family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different.

Releases February 22, 2011. This one sounds post-Apocalyptic. Maybe. Not sure. Maybe just fantasy? The idea of a newly built New Orleans sounds interesting. Visit the author’s site.

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

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