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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Review: A Fantasy Medley edited by Yanni Kuznia






A Fantasy Medley features the superlative storytelling abilities of four diverse authors:

In Zen and the Art of Vampirism, Zoe Takano, the only vampire in Toronto, a city filled with supernatural creatures of Kelley Armstrong s Otherworld, finds her place in the hierarchy threatened by two interlopers.

Riding the Shore of the River of Death returns us to the world of Kate Elliott s Crown of Stars. Kareka, daughter of the begh of the Kirshat, hunts to take a man s head. It is her last opportunity to prove herself as a man or else she will find herself restricted to the role of woman and wife in the clan forever.

Robin Hobb revisits her Farseer world in Words Like Coins. Mirrifen, a failed hedge-witch's apprentice who has married to find security finds that threatened by a severe drought and the appearance of a pregnant female pecksie.

C.E. Murphy takes us to frozen Moscow in From Russia, with Love. Baba Yaga s daughter is a barmaid at a dive when Janx and Eliseo Daisani walk in. They discover, as they compete for the girl s affections, that Baba Yaga has plans for Janx and that her beautiful daughter had merely been the bait.

First, I would like to say that I loved all 4 stories but the book was entirely too short. I have read Kelley Armstrong before and I enjoyed seeing Zoe Takano in light hearted story. I thought the story was funny and I liked that Zoe had a "family" that took care of each other. It would be nice to get more books about her secondary characters. Zoe is very clever when she needs to be and when 2 vampires decided to take over her territroy she does what she must to protect her family.

The other 3 authors in this anthology I had heard of , but never read any of their stories. I am going to have to do a thorough search and find books from them after this enjoyable anthology. Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars takes you to a time where women aren't highly regarded except in how they can benefit their husbands, unless they can prove themselves "manly". They prove this by taking the head of an enemy without being killed in the process. If they do this, then they prove their manhood and don't have to marry to receive status. The story was well written and it felt like an introduction to another longer story( so I will definitely be looking into it)

Robin Hobb takes us to a story where Mirrifen is left to look after her sister-in-law, Jami, who is pregnant while the husbands are out trying to find work. Jami is very pregnant and Mirrifen will do everything she can to ensure that she has no trouble with the baby. Many rats come into the house and chicken coop taking food that they can't afford to lose. Where there are rats, there are pecksie. Pecksie are small creatures that hunt rats. Pecksies are rumored to cause more trouble than they are worth and to be harmful to babies. Jami doesn't want them anywhere near her, but Mirrifen isn't sure how she feels about them. Well written story and I enjoyed it a lot.

C.E. Murphy's story takes you to Russia with a tale of Baba Yaga and her daughter. Baba Yaga is a very powerful witch who anyone that could catch her and bind her would fid her a very powerful possession. What Janx and Eliseo Daisani don't realize is that even though they are very powerful they must constantly stay on their toes to ensure that they leave Russia unscathed. Although the story of Baba Yaga is an old one this is a fresh new take on this tale.

Altogether these four stories were well written and a joy to read. Definitely worth the time if you can get hold of this book. Currently out of print but can be found through Amazon and other sources if you care to look.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The following are pictures of the laptop you could win in this contest.





There's still one more day left to enter to win an awesome computer at http://www.metropolitanmama.net/



First, the winner will receive a Toshiba Portege M750 ($1,699)..
and
The winner will also receive the Small Phantom laptop bag from STM Bags.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN WIN! - Go to http://metropolitanmama.net/2009/05/mothers-day-giveaway-extravaganza-win-a-laptop
Leave a topic-related comment on this post. It can be about what you most want for Mother’s Day or about how you would use the “tablet” functionality of the Toshiba or about the features you look for in a laptop bag. You choose. Just remember all generic entries (”enter me,” “love it,” “pick me, please,” etc.) will be disqualified. This contest is open to readers with a U.S. mailing address.
Because this an extra-special giveaway, I’m allowing you the opportunity to earn up to 7 additional entries.
For additional entries you can:
Add my button to your blog/website
Follow me on Twitter
Subscribe to my RSS feed
Blog about this contest
Twitter about this contest
Facebook this contest
Submit this post to Kirtsy, StumbleUpon, or Digg
That’s up to 7 additional entries! Please be sure to leave a comment for each additional entry.


The deadline for this contest is Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

A new day dawns blood red

A master of fire, Mira is the last hope for the world. For centuries she has secretly enforced the history-altering edicts of the Triad. Now she and her unlikely ally—the human vampire hunter, Danaus—have come to Venice, home of the nightwalker rulers. But there is no safety in the ancient city, for the threat of conflict is in the wind . . . with unholy alliances and earth-shattering betrayals taking hideous form in the shadows.

Banished for eons beyond the world's boundaries, the malevolent naturi prepare to feed once again upon a vulnerable earth—and treachery is opening wide the portal that will enable their dread re-emergence. The great battle that has always been Mira's destiny is looming, and she must remain powerful in the face of a shocking revelation: that Danaus, the only creature she dares to trust, is something more than the man he claims to be . . .

Wonderfully written, fast- paced and descriptive this novel was filled with nonstop action, a cliffhanger that will have you running to the store to buy book 3 ,Dawnbreaker in September. In this second installment of the Dark Days series we get to see a glimpse of the softer side of Mira, that part of her that she is hesitant to show for fear that others will think her weak. Mira struggles with several secrets that could destroy the life she is trying so hard to protect. I would suggest that anyone thinking of reading this go out and purchase book 1, Nightwalker so you may get the complete story of the Dark Days series by Jocelynn Drake.


Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Eos (April 28, 2009)
Language: English http://www.amazon.com/Dayhunter-Dark-Days-Book-2/dp/0061542830/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
ISBN-10: 0061542830
ISBN-13: 978-0061542831
Available at Amazon.com

WOW , This is hard

I never realized all of the work that went into setting up a blog. This is very hard for me. I don't know anything about html. I feel insanely dumb right now, but I am not going to let it get to me. I said it would be done and it will be done. Hopefully it will become a better looking site as time goes on. The word for today is gushy-
Definition:
(adjective) Marked by excessive displays of sentiment or enthusiasm.

For example- Hanging out with my MomWriter friends on yahoo makes me gushy. LOL
Hey, I'm working on it ok.

Currently reading- Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake

New Day, New Blog

Well, I finally decided to sit down and start my own blog . I have been telling myself for a long time that I would do it, but I am a master procrastinator & we all know what that means. I think this blog will help me in many ways accomplish something that I keep talking about, I want to be a published writer one day. As my writer friends tell me if I write then I am a writer. On this blog I am hopefully gonna post several times a week and I will try to do at least one book review per week. I also think that learning new words will help so I will be posting new words as I learn them.

Reading atm: Dayhunter By Jocelynn Drake

Friday, May 15, 2009

Review Of Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Right now, I’m a redhead. I’ve been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled color change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I’m doing well here. Nobody knows what I’m running from. And I’d like to keep it that way…

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her “gift”. Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine’s gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

This is my first taste of this wonderful author. The story was descriptive and well though out. It was an intense mystery that kept me guessing. While trying to solve the mystery surrounding Chance's mother the duo meet many interesting characters including Butch the chihuahua, whom I really enjoyed. I look forward to the next book in this new series.



Book 2 Hell Fire should be out Late 2009

Book 3 Shady Lady comes out April 2011


Blue Diablo available to buy @
AmazonBarnes and NobleBooks-a-millionBordersMysterious GalaxyPowell’s