Heartless

Heartless: A Novel of Vampires, Werewolves, and Teapots

by Gail Carriger

The Parasol Protectorate, book four

 

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet? (description from Amazon.com)

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I love the casual snarkiness of this series.  There is always something tongue-in-cheek happening. I find myself giggling all the way through, every time.  Alexia is a woman that I would love to be friends with in real life.  She's real, she's very practical, and like me, she loves nothing better than to eat!

Again I loved how all of the men in Alexia's life have made little accomodations to better fit themselves to her... I love that Alexia has not truly had to bend on any of her beliefs.  Though I do not claim to be a staunch feminist, there is a definitive part of me that applauds Gail Carriger for the way that she writes this series. :)

Since this is book four, I cannot talk too much about the specifics without giving away tons of spoilers.  Needless to say, if this sounds intriguing, I highly recommend you go back and try book one, Soulless.  Lovers of the paranormal, steampunk, high tea, historical fiction, and humor unite!

Full disclosure: Purchased for my Nook

The End of Infinity

The End of Infinity

by Matt Myklusch

Jack Blank Adventures, book three

 

Ever since Jack Blank learned that he came from the amazing country of the Imagine Nation, he’s known that his fate could go down two very different paths—he could either be the greatest hero the world has ever known, or its greatest villain.   Now the final battle is here, and it’s time for Jack to discover the direction of his destiny. (description from Amazon.com)

*This is the final book in the Jack Blank trilogy, so beware of spoilers!*

I have really enjoyed this series and I am actually sad that it has come to a close.  I'm sort of hoping that Matt Myklusch will dive into this world again to tell the stories of some of its other characters... we'll have to wait and see. 

What made this series so great?  It is a fabulous blend of realistic fiction and comic-book style heroes and villans.  There are elements of science fiction, full-on fantasy, and there is no end to the action-packed adventures! Jack is a great character because he has a destiny that he must decide whether to embrace as inevitable, or to try to shape along the way... though he has no idea who he truly is, he has a fantastic moral compass that leads him... he has a strong sense of loyalty and friendship that he will not let fall the way side.  He is a hero that I can truly get behind... oh, and did I mention that he can mentally manipulate machines?  Awesome. 

Not only does Jack fight his way into embracing and then changing his destiny, but he learns the truth about himself (finally!!) and decides exactly what type of hero he wants to be for the rest of his life.  I loved how Jack's friends stood by him, even when they had their niggling doubts, and how Jack refused to lose any of them in the biggest, most important battle he'd ever seen.  Reading this book was like watching an epic superhero movie, in the best possible way.  As I said before, I look forward to hearing more from this author and hopefully in this same world!!

Full disclosure: Signed copy received from author for honest review

Ghost Town

Ghost Town
by Rachel Caine
Morganville Vampires, book nine

While developing a new system to maintain Morganville's defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she's able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town's little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville...
(description taken from Amazon.com)

This is a series that I devour. Every time a new book is coming out, I am practically foaming at the mouth to get my hands on it! The best part...every book in the series just seems to get better.

I cannot figure out how Rachel Caine does it. This is one of the best vampire series out there. Period. Claire is one of my favorite heroines ever. She's smart, she's resourceful, she's cute, and she's just...Claire.

For example (as a fellow "smart girl" and a secret zombie lover, I LOVE this quote):
"Well, there are good points about zombie movies. There're usually smart girls in them, for some reason. And the smart girls hardly ever get killed."

Awesome.

Anyway, I could not put Ghost Town down. There were points when I literally considered whether some of the main characters might have to die. I cannot believe how Rachel Caine managed to pull Claire and her friends out of their new(est) dangerous situation. Talk about the suspense...this book is overflowing with it!

If you already read this series, pick Ghost Town up ASAP. If you haven't tried the Morganville Vampires yet, what on Earth are you waiting for? You won't be sorry!