When disgraced witch Sophie Mercer screws up once too often, she’s sent to Hecate Hall, a reform school for troublemaking witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. Even as she befriends her roommate, the lone vampire student, she runs afoul of a would be coven of ambitious witches, acquires a ghostly mentor, flirts with a handsome warlock, and struggles to master her abilities. Something deadly is lurking in the shadows, and Sophie may be the key to stopping it before the body count gets out of hand. With a solid story, believable characters, and a fast-paced plot, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read from a promising new author, and the start of a fun series.
Archive for category Vampires
Ever since she broke up with her mortal boyfriend Seth, succubus Georgina Kincaid has been in a royal funk, and it’s been getting worse ever since she reluctantly agreed to help plan Seth’s wedding to one of her best friends. Acting noble and self-sacrificing when all you really want to do is steal the groom-to-be away is hard at the best of times, downright impossible when you’re a creature of Hell whose job is to corrupt the good and steal their life energy. Georgina’s always been a woman of drastic contrasts, though.
The more down she gets, however, the more it seems like some strange outside force is trying to lure her away, stalking her at her most vulnerable. So she throws herself into work, tries not to obsess about Seth, and attempts to discern why another succubus is in town “on vacation.” When she learns just what’s after her and why, she realizes all hope may be lost. Because caught under their power, she’ll relive the worst and most defining moments of her centuries-long life, and be driven to the breaking point of despair. Can the love and obligation of her friends save her, and if so, at what cost?
Now onto its fifth book, this series about the succubus with the moral streak just keeps getting weirder and more engaging. All along, Mead’s been dropping hints that Georgina isn’t like other succubi, and that there may be irregularities with her contract with Hell. Here, the plot thickens and progresses a little; there may not be concrete answers, but we get more insight into her checkered past, seeing who she was long ago and where she started to rebel against her Hell-given directives. We also see more of the strangely compelling interaction between the forces of Heaven and Hell, and it’s becoming ever clearer that it’s not a struggle of absolutes. We’re already familiar of the odd friendship between Jerome, Georgina’s supervisor, and Carter, his angelic counterpart for the Seattle area, and now it seems there really is something else going on behind the scenes. Naturally, the rest of Georgina’s friends are present, and the subplot involving the vampire Peter, who has the hots for a cute little Gothlet who rejects him for not being vampiric enough for her tastes, is sure to raise a few laughs.
Internal mythology aside, this series continues to straddle the line between urban fantasy and paranormal romance, with the continuing thread of Georgina’s on-again off-again relationship with Seth, who was her favorite author until he became the love of her life. Clearly, the feelings still exist on both sides, even when they’re apart, and it’s entirely possible that their bond exists on a deeper level than either expected. Unfortunately, explanations will have to wait for another book, though there’s some interesting progress made here.
What else? Well, as to be expected when one’s reading a story about a succubus, there is sex, and the sex varies between tawdry and sleazy (when Georgina’s seducing some mortal scumbag to jack up her internal energy lvels) and blisteringly hot (when it’s someone she cares about). Mead’s good at finding that line between erotic and explicit, so it doesn’t impact the overall flow of the story, like it might in some books.
Fans of the series will undoubtedly enjoy this latest installment of Georgina Kincaid’s adventures, and appreciate the development of the slow-burning overarching storyline that’s been present in each book. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what Mead has planned for future books.
Vancouver’s Occult Special Investigations unit always, by virtue of its very nature, gets the weird cases. This time, a prominent academic and necromancer has been murdered, while inexplicably wearing an antique suit of armor in the safety of his own home. Now Tess Corday and her team have to figure out who killed Luiz Ordeno and why. To do that, Tess will have to wrestle answers out of the notoriously tightlipped necromantic community, brave the local vampire dens, track down enigmatic demon information brokers, and risk her own life against those who don’t want her to succeed. Along the way, she’ll also have to reevaluate her clandestine relationship with her necromancer lover, keep not one but two supernaturally-imbued teenagers out of trouble, and make time for a long-overdue heart-to-heart with her mother. Just another week at the office.
Where do I start? I love this series with a passion, and Inhuman Resources is definitely my favorite thus far. On the surface, it’s the urban fantasy answer to CSI, with a full team of quirky, talented specialists working behind the scenes and in the office to help Tess and her partners in the field get the results. The camaraderie, snappy patter and easy back-and-forth dialogue helps maintain a steady flow as the information and technobabble comes and goes, and it’s obvious Battis has a real ear for this sort of thing.
I love that when characters talk to one another, it’s open, direct, and productive. There are too many series out there where a misunderstanding or moment of miscommunication could fuel entire books of angst and hurt feelings. Here, for instance, Tess and her boyfriend Lucien actually find time to have an adult discussion that means something, full of honest emotion and forward movement. Sure, they might argue, but they get over it in a manner which rings true and feels real. There’s a subtle maturity to the emotional component of this book that helps it stand out, whether it’s Tess and Lucien, or Tess’ partner/housemate Derrick and his boyfriend Miles, or part-demon teenager Mia (just hitting those moody teen years!) or any of the other fascinating characters who contribute to the plot. It’s an intangible quality; some books have it, some don’t, and this one has lots of it.
I love the juxtaposition of modern science (verging on the futuristic sometimes) and weird magic. Sure, it’s a staple of urban fantasy to blend the real and unreal, but Battis has injected his world with enough cutting-edge technology and forensic techniques as to give this series a slight science fiction edge as well. But then he turns around and introduces us to Trinovantum, the bizarre hidden city of the necromancers, which could exist in a fantasy setting completely separate of the so-called real world. And instead of clashing, these disparate elements work well together.
The main crux of the plot may be your standard murder whodunit, but its packaging is anything but standard; this is top-notch urban fantasy in every regard, and I’m looking forward to the further adventures of Tess Corday and her friends and family.
So. Simon Canderous, psychometrist and agent for New York City’s Department of Extraordinary Affairs, is up to his usual tricks. You know, preparing to enjoy Taco Night with his ex-evil cultist girlfriend, when he’s forced to bash the hell out of an unidentifiable supernatural monstrosity while in the grocery store. Then he has to rescue his partner Connor Christos from a graveyard incident, which doesn’t make much sense because Connor’s supposed to be taking vacation for the first time in years. Gargoyles, ghosts, and grave dirt, oh my.
Before he knows it, Simon’s knocking on the door of the new Gibson-Case Center, after pursuing the mysterious person he catches stalking outside Connor’s window, and that in turn leads to the first authentic, no-joke, we mean it this time, vampire encounter the DEA’s had in years, which in turn leads to the revelation that Connor’s brother isn’t dead like he thought, but is really a bloodsucker, and hey, there’s an entire colony of them hidden in the middle of the city, and oh by the way, the building eats people, and some of the vampires may be degenerating into unidentifiable supernatural monstrosities, and …
Why yes, Simon Canderous does lead an unusual life. Even for a New Yorker. Now his girlfriend’s been absorbed by a high-tech building, Connor’s being seduced by the dark side, and Simon himself is being accused of collaborating with the enemy just because he’s adopted a radical new “talk before stake” policy where these vamps are concerned. Taco Night is on indefinite hold, until things are straightened out. Or else.
As you might guess from the description, this is one seriously oddball book, the third in an increasingly strange and entertaining series. There’s this constant undercurrent of fun running throughout the storyline, as our hero finds himself dealing with one sort of weirdness after another, all while coping with the insidious threat of bureaucracy. The spiritual successor to Men In Black and Ghostbusters, this book mixes action and humor, magic and sharp characterization to deliver a fast-paced good time.
As always, I love the odd couple of Simon and his girlfriend, Jane. He’s an ex-thief psychometrist who uses his powers for good most of the time; she was an evil cultist for the health benefits until she joined the DEA, where she’s only slightly less evil. Together, they’re both cute and semi-disturbing, and pleasantly happy together. It makes for a nice change from the series where the protagonist has to juggle multiple suitors of various races, or where they spend all of their time angsting. It’s nice to have at least one relatively stable, if quirky, couple doing their thing in between (and during) times of crisis and monster attack.
I’ve come to look forward to Strout’s books, and he keeps getting better. This is a keen example of how to stand out in the urban fantasy field and maintain a unique identity, and I hope Simon Canderous will be around for a while.
Shiarra Waynest is a private investigator who’s about to get way in over her head. Hired by a representative of the mage Circle to determine whether or not a local vampire is in possession of a certain magical artifact, she’s not at all sure she wants the job. Normally, she avoids the Others like the plague, but the money for this case is way too attractive to pass up. And that’s how she gets stuck smack-dab in the middle of a three-way struggle between mages, vampires, and the anti-Other vigilante group known as the White Hats. People will die, she’ll assemble a team of friends and allies, risk her life, and make a new name for herself as someone to be reckoned with.
You know? Hunted By The Others is a perfectly serviceable urban fantasy with the requisite hint of forbidden romance. It hits all the right beats as it turns its main character from someone who doesn’t want anything to do with the supernatural into someone who can kick ass with the best of them. By the end, she’s a walking, talking, bad girl cliché, decked out in her black leathers and armed with a magical stake-holding belt and dual laser-sight-equipped handguns and so forth. She has a werewolf ex-boyfriend, a vampire who might be her new love interest or her worst enemy, and somehow, it all seems kind of … well, generic. I read this book, I enjoyed it, and the details promptly slipped my mind. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, and there’s the problem: with so many urban fantasies out there already, you have to be great if you want to stand out. By far, the best thing about this book is the striking, attention-grabbing cover.
If you’re in the mood for something quick, easy, and relatively harmless, you could do far worse than to pick up this satisfactory series opener. I’ll most likely be back for the sequel, and hopefully it’ll make more of an impression on me than this one did.
FBI profiler Jace Valchek has spent her life learning how the criminally insane think, to the point where she’s an expert. And because of that experience, she’s just been abruptly reassigned to work with the NSA. Just … not the NSA she was expecting. She’s been sent into another world, a parallel dimension where things took a strange turn in the 13th Century. In this new world, vampires, werewolves and golems constitute the vast majority of the populace; normal humans make a mere one percent. The supernaturals don’t succumb to mental illness, only the humans, and there’s a serial killer on the loose. If Jace ever wants to see her home again, she’ll have to stop this madman from pursuing his bloody work.
Now she has a vampire for a boss, a werewolf for a doctor and therapist, and a golem for a partner. She’s an extreme minority in a world that’s strangely familiar and utterly alien, and she’s tracking a killer across the world. But every body is another piece in a terrifying puzzle, and what it suggests could be disastrous if left unchecked. Of course, even if Jace can save the world, it doesn’t necessarily mean her job here is done. Not if, for instance, her primary target escapes….
That’s Dying Bites, the first of the Bloodhound Files. In Death Blows, we see how poor Jace is coming to terms with her extended stay in a world where she’s an oddity and an outsider. She’s still on the hunt for Aristotle Stoker, leader of the Free Human Resistance, who’s eluded her for over three months and counting. In the meantime, there’s plenty of work to be done; thanks to Stoker, supernaturals are now capable of going insane, and they keep coming unhinged.
This new case is weird even for Jace’s line of work. It all starts with a murdered vampire wearing a Flash outfit. (Barry Allen, the Flash who came to prominence in the ’60s, for those playing at home.) Jace quickly discovers the impossibility of this: comic books have been outlawed since the ’50s, ever since a certain guy, name of Wertham, used totemic magic to become incredibly powerful, and extremely dangerous. His reign of terror ended when the government sponsored a team of “superheroes” known as the Bravo Brigade to stop him. They won, and disbanded, the individual members fading back into obscurity and their personal lives.
Only now someone is killing the former members of the Bravo Brigade and stealing their various artifacts, including a sword which can supposedly cut through time, and a gem which can manipulate energy. Jace and her partner, the golem Charlie Aleph, have to stop whoever’s behind this new spate of killings before they can pick up where Wertham left off. Good luck. She’ll need it.
This is an astonishingly intriguing, highly captivating series. The setting is amazingly well thought out; every question I thought to ask about how some aspect of it works, Barant’s anticipated and answers in the narrative as Jace encounters each new discrepancy between her “real” world and the one she’s stuck in. The idea of a world where supernaturals make up the extreme majority and have had to adjust to their new status on top, while humans are practically an endangered species is certainly one with a lot of potential, and Barant’s milking it for all it’s worth. Both books thus far start off as murder mysteries, but there’s so much more going on, including Cthuluesque monstrosities, comic book cults, golem bounty hunters, vampire superheroes, werewolf gangs and perky undead teenagers.
If anything, Death Blows is even more outrageously inventive than its predecessor. It’s absolutely steeped in comic book lore, invoking the works of Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and more. From the Doom Patrol to Superman, Crisis on Infinite Earths to Animal Man, The Flash to the X-Men, clues are gleamed and parallels drawn, all pulled together by the vampiric literary counterpart of a comic book writer you might not expect. To top that all off, an episode of Seinfeld plays a small but important part. I can honestly sit here and say I’ve never seen a plot that plays out quite like this, and it’s both weird and awesome.
So why should you read this series? Because it’s urban fantasy, where the main character is an FBI profiler armed with a gun and an attitude, in a world where vampires and werewolves are the majority, whose partner is a golem powered by the spirit of a T-Rex, and who investigates serial killings involving Elder Gods and contraband comic book cults, all while hunting the immortal shaman who can send her home. And it’s goooood.
When Jackie Brighton wakes up in a Dumpster after a particularly vigorous night of drinking and ill-advised cheap, meaningless sex, she doesn’t realize that it’s the end of life as she knew it. Gone is the plain, boring, dissatisfied-with-her-looks museum docent. Hello, succubus. Now sporting a body that drives men mad, an insatiable sexual appetite, and assorted powers she’s still figuring out, she’s inducted into a strange new world where angels walk in the daytime, vampires stalk at night, and people like her are caught securely in the middle. Remy Summore, succubus and porn star, takes poor Jackie under her wing and shows her the ropes, while bad boy vamp Zane and the irresistible angel Noah flit in and out of the picture with the passage of the sun. In between sex fixes, Jackie gets caught up in the Byzantine schemes of Heaven and Hell, and sent on a quest for an artifact which could tip the balance once and for all. What’s a girl to do?
With her debut, Jill Myles starts a new series which dwells somewhere in the Venn diagram created by paranormal romance, erotic fantasy, and comedy. How else can you explain a story where the main character can describe two people having sex as going at it like “rabid wombats during mating season”? How else do you account for the spicy, enthusiastic, sometimes explicit sex the main character must indulge in every few days? It’s certainly an interesting combination of elements, especially given that the protagonist is more than happy to blow off a life of porn and sleaze for a job as a museum tour guide – a profession roughly on the same level as librarian, schoolteacher, and secretary as far as repressed sexuality goes.
As one might guess, this was not one of my first choices for reading material. My wife stole the book I’d just started, and left me this in its place, like a literary pack rat, and I was desperate. Hey, I don’t mind romances, even the paranormal semi-erotic kind, but the bare-chested Fabio-type on the cover wasn’t a good sign…. To my surprise, what I found was a rather enjoyable, if occasionally silly, read. While it doesn’t quite stack up to Jackie Kessler’s Hell on Earth series, or Richelle Mead’s Georgia Kincaid series, both of which also star succubi doing what they do best, this initial entry in the Succubus Diaries is a lot better than one might expect. The main character has a lot going for her (besides her new bra size) and there’s a genuine spark between her and both of the men who’ve come into her life. Toss in Remy, who acts both as voice of reason and comic relief, and you’ve a good, solid cast to wrap the story around. The sense of humor laced throughout the narrative certainly helps, and there’s every possibility I’ll sneak a peek at the next book. (I’m buying it for my wife, you see….)
In a perfect world, Amanda Feral, Seattle’s favorite zombie fashionista, socialite, and trouble magnet, wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. Her nightlife would be nothing but fruity drinks and tasty college boys. Think again. Her business is in dire financial straits, the reapers who patch her up after every misadventure are snarling for their money, her werewolf boyfriend is more of an animal in bed than is comfortable, and her mom’s a strip club-owning vampire. When a chance to at least settle her money woes comes up, in the form of judging a reality show, Amanda reluctantly accepts the deal. However, the prompt murder of the show’s sexy, obnoxious host (and chief draw) means a quick change in plans for all involved.
Now, Amanda has to figure out who killed Johnny Birch, the world’s most annoying wood nymph. Was it the voodoo mama? The Belgian ghoul? The Japanese smoke ghost? The twin sirens? The drag queen werewolf? Everyone has a motive, the means, and the opportunity. But will the would-be contestants kill each other before Amanda pins down the culprit … or will the fact that she’s a lousy detective mark the end of her glamourous unlife? Some people would die to be on TV, even the secret supernatural channels … and some will die whether they want to or not.
Profane, demanted, and utterly warped, Battle of the Network Zombies is the third in Mark Henry’s series about the trials and tribulations of Amanda Feral, a foul-mouthed flesh-eater who navigates the Seattle supernatural social scene like a less evil Paris Hilton. With a wide variety of bizarre mythological creatures strutting their stuff here, and Amanda’s customary amusing asides, anecdotes and footnotes, it’s clear that Henry’s really tapped into his inner (undead) diva once again. While not for the sensitive, easily-offended, or delicate of heart, this book skewers the reality show mindset even as it cooks up a surprise-filled murder mystery. The chapter headings, each one offering up a TV Guide-style listing of a cable show for the supernatural set, are uniformly entertaining (I’d watch Thanks For The Dismemberments, or Jersey Devil House Party!), and I can certainly appreciate the use of lesser-known mythological creatures as secondary characters. For some, this series may be an acquired taste, but it’s certainly got a unique style and voice, and Battle of the Network Zombies lives up (or down?) to the standard set by the first two books.
Miss Alexia Tarabotti is not your average young lady. At twenty-six and unmarried, her chances of finding a prospective husband are almost nil. Worse still, she’s half-Italian and her coloring quite definitely takes after that side of the family. Olive skin is -so- out, after all. Worst of all, she has no soul. As a so-called, and extraordinarily rare, preternatural, she can negate the supernatural qualities of werewolves and vampires with but a touch, a fact she keeps to herself as much as possible. After all, proper ladies don’t go around touching the undead willy-nilly, no matter how accepted they are in British society.
When a strange vampire attacks Alexia at a party, she quite sensibly defends herself, accidentally staking the vampire in the process. The ensuing mess brings her into contact with Lord Maccon, a Scottish werewolf who works for the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, who’s had a bone to pick with Miss Tarabotti ever since a certain incident involving a hedgehog. This sets off a bizarre and unconventional series of events involving Alexia, Lord Maccon, an American scientist, and the so-very-flamboyant vampire Lord Akeldama. It seems that packless werewolves and solitary vampires have been disappearing, while fledging vampires are turning up with disturbing frequency, their origins a mystery. When people try to kidnap Alexia, Lord Maccon decides to see to her protection personally. But can they stop arguing long enough to figure out what’s going on? And at what point will propriety be thrown out the window in favor of expediency?
Soulless is charming, whimsical, and splendid. Part comedy of manners, part Regency send-up, part urbane fantasy, part alternate history, part steampunk, it’s a beautiful blending of disparate elements that’s bound to appeal to a wide range of readers. With its wry, tongue-in-cheek tone and a thoroughly plausible worldview, it’s easy to fall into the story and get swept up in the action. Alexia Tarabotti is a heroine to admire, a saucily-independent, feisty young woman who addresses every situation with her unique mixture of common sense and proper manners. Her constant foil and occasional romantic interest, Lord Maccon, is a gentleman and a werewolf, and it’s no wonder that opposites attract and sparks fly every time they’re together. (Honestly? Miss Tarabotti and Lord Maccon are one of the cutest, most adorable, most entertaining, most natural couples I’ve seen in a long time, and their interactions fill me with a glee bordering on guilty pleasure.) Lord Akeldama makes for one heck of a memorable supporting character, stealing every scene he’s in with a colorful swish that would be the envy of any drag queen, while still maintaining that immortal presence one expects of a centuries-old vampire.
This book overflows with a sense of wonder and unapologetic playfulness, starting with the first page (…she had retreated to the library, her favorite sanctuary in any house, only to happen upon an unexpected vampire…) and continuing right up to the very end. In lesser hands, the clever banter and self-aware tone could have been cutesy, twee, or just plain groan-inducing; Gail Carriger rises above those pitfalls to give us something rich and delightful and thoroughly appealing. I simply must insist upon more, and the sooner the better.
What do you do when you’re half-vampire, half-mage, the mixed-blood child of a union that should never have happened? If you’re Sabina Kane, you ally yourself with the only person to ever care whether you live or die, your tyrannical grandmother, who happens to be one of the most powerful and influential vampires alive. And you go into the only profession open to someone of your dubious heritage and unique talents: assassin. As the enforcer for the vampire Dominae, Sabina’s faithfully followed orders, killing anyone who might pose a threat to the status quo, be they friend or foe, and it’s given her a reputation as a bloodthirsty killer perpetually on the verge of going rogue. And it’s that reputation which will serve her well for her next mission. She’s to publicly break with her bosses, and join up with the renegade Clovis Trakiya, who dares to preach an idea of unity between vampire, mage, and fey, three races which have never gotten along.
So now Sabina’s out in the cold, looking to get in good with Clovis, whose scheme seems too good to be true. She has a demon trapped in cat form (long story) unwillingly helping her out, a perky nymph as her new roommate, and a mysterious mage trailing her, and the growing suspicion that someone’s pulling strings behind the scenes. But who can she trust when her own family is willing to use her and throw her away? And what of the rumors that she has family on the mage side she’s never met? Her conflict of loyalties couldn’t come at a worse time; caught up in the mission and getting ever-closer to the truth, she can’t afford distractions. . . .
Right from the start, it’s clear that Red-Headed Stepchild is an energetic, action-packed story, one where intrigue lurks around every corner and no one can be fully trusted. Moments of unexpected humor help to lighten the mood now and again, adding a wry touch to the proceedings. (Giguhl the demon is a scene-stealer, whether he’s exploring the joys of late-night infomercials or trapped in cat form.) There’s something appealing about Sabina, a mixture of ruthlessness and vulnerability that both helps and hinders her as she gets thoroughly wrapped up in the schemes and manipulations of those around her. All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable debut from newcomer Jaye Wells, and I have no doubt we’ll continue to see good things from her.