Steampunk!

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

ed. by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

Imagine an altrnate universe where romance and technology reign. Where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Where scientists and schoolgirls, fair folk and Romans, intergalactic bandits, utopian revolutionaries, and intrepid orphans solve crimes, escape from monstrous predicaments, consult oracles, and hover over volcanoes in steam-powered airships. Here, fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, embrace the genre's established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings as diverse as Appalachia, Ancient Rome, future Australia, and alternate California. Visionaries Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have invited all-new explorations and expansions, taking a genre already rich, strange, and inventive in the extreme and challenging contributors to remake it from the ground up. The result is an anthology that defies the genre even as it defines it. (description from Amazon.com)

I adore steampunk.  It's old, it's new, it's mechanical and magical, full of adventure and romance.  It is a brilliant sub-genre. 

That being said, I loved the concept of this anthology. It's like...steampunk twisted.  These are tales that all have strong steampunk elements, yet push beyond what we think of as steampunk to become even more.  Not a one is set in Victorian London, either! 

My favorites from this anthology were Libba Bray's story about girl thieves who use a device to stop time so that they can rob trains, Kelly Link's tale of a girl who is bound to serve fairies and is only somewhat mollified by their mechanized trinket gifts, and Dylan Horrock's story about a girl from another world, trying to find herself in a flatter version of her own life. Each of these tales literally *sparkled* at me from off of the pages.  *grins* The other tales were really well done, as well. 

Reading this book felt like traveling the world in a dirigible with dashing young lads and lasses hanging off of the anchor ropes... *whoops, just had a Scott Westerfeld moment there, lol.* Anyway, though I didn't read it all in one go, each tale was enthralling in it's own way. 

I should also mention that two of the tales are in graphic novel format.  These were short and fun to read.  In fact, my only complaint about the well done audio book was that it neglects to include these two tales...even just by reading the text.

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile Magazine.

Enthralled

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
Edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new landscapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved. (description from Amazon.com)

This was a great collection of paranormal short stories. Each story was strong on its own. Some are connected to the "world" that that particular author is famous for (Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, etc.) and some were in whole new settings (Jessica Verday). They ran the gamut from short and sweet, to dark and heartwrenching.

My favorites were:

Skin Contact by Kimberly Derting - Rafe is a boy who sometimes sees reality in his dreams. Today, he's seen something that he can only hope will not come to pass...but his greatest fear is that he's already too late.
*This one made me cry and I immediately tweeted KD to let her know how good it was! Gut-wrenchingly emotional.

At the Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday - Jane's family hunts the things that go bump in the night. When she decides to take on a pack of cannibal girl scouts on her own, though, everything that possibly could go wrong does...
*Definitely my favorite of the whole book. I mean, how could you not love the idea of cannibalistic girl scouts?? Not to mention de-fanged vampires and a weird tie-in to the Rocky Horror Picture Show! This one's been rolling around in the back of my brain for days...I can't let it go!

IV League by Margaret Stohl - Wren is a Drinker. She and some of the other Drinkers from her town are heading up North to check out colleges...and the potential Breathers they may be able to feed on during their college years!
*This was an intriguing new look at vampires. I liked the writing style a lot. I'm curious to see if Margaret Stohl's books may delve more deeply into this world in the future...

Overall, I really recommend this collection to anyone who skews like me to the paranormal in their reading tastes. If so, this is a veritable smorgasbord of fantastic little stories!

Short Story Mini-Reviews

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang did not believe in ghosts, until she sees her dead cousin in a dark alley. She did not believe in vampires, until she turns into one. Should she follow her vampire cousin’s lead and walk away from everything she knows, or join Shadow Falls, a camp for special teens. (description from Amazon.com)

Intriguing. I really liked Della's personality and the combination of all different types of supernatural beings that know about one another. I love the premise, though the author's writing style jars me a little. I am definitely interested in going to read the first book in the Shadow Falls series now.



Meet Jessie Gillmansen as she realizes that things might not be what they seem in the town of Junction. (description from author's website)

This one didn't thrill me at all. I don't know if it's because it was so short or if it just didn't really hint at what the series is really about...I don't think I'll follow up with this one. Too many other things I'm dying to read!



I am Gwen Frost, and I have a Gypsy gift. It’s called psychometry – that's a fancy way of saying that I see images in my head and get flashes of other people’s memories off almost everything I touch, even guys. (description from Amazon.com)

Very well done. I loved the way that Gwen discovers her friend's secret and how it affects her own personal life so strongly. I'm absolutely going to go get the first official book in the Mythos Academy series because I can't wait to see who she ends up going to school with!!

Success!!

So, I haven't been blogging as much lately, and even if no one noticed but me, I wanted to explain why. You might remember (or not...who knows) that I am somewhat of an amateur writer. I have participated in NaNoWriMo and I'm in a Writers' Group (with two awesome chicas!! Becca from Alice:Journey of a Fake Writer and Jen from Yabooknerd).

Well, I decided that I have to get serious. I want to publish a book someday and that means I need to buckle down and "Get 'R Dun," as they say...but with better grammar! So, while I will absolutely not give up my reading time, because not only do I consider it important research, but it is the highlight of my day, every day...I have decided to cut back on blogging. Not just actually posting on my blog, but I have also cut back on how often I read my blog feed.

It's been tough! I think I was going through a little bit of blogger withdrawl, BUT in the time that I was using for that I wrote a killer short story! Not only did I write it, but I revised it, and...submitted it for the National Writer's Digest annual contest. *fingers crossed* Realistically, I have no intention of holding my breath anticipating a win. I'm sure a bajillion people enter every year. Having the goal and a deadline, though, really got me to pump it out and make sure all my word choices were sharp, my sentences were concise, and that the characters and plot were developed just so...

Did I mention how *HARD* it is to write a short story?! So hard, but totally worth it. I have a real finished piece that I am eminently proud of and would love to share with the world at some point. For now, I await the decisions of others...and turn back to an older project. :)

All right, off to go read!

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales
by Tamora Pierce

Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy. (description from Amazon.com)

Tamora Pierce is my favorite author. I love almost everything she's ever put out. She is an incredible world-builder and her characters have phenomenal depth. If you've never read anything by Ms. Pierce, this would be an excellent place to start...you could read one story, or them all!

I loved that while some of the stories relate to Tamora Pierce's larger series books, each could be read individually, and some were completely new. One of my favorites was called "Huntress," and took place in modern day New York City, seemingly realistic fiction until Artemis, the Moon Goddess makes an appearance.

Fans of Daine from the Wild Magic series will rejoice to read a story about Kitten, her little dragon friend. Aly's fans (Trickster series) will love to read the story about birthing her triplets. Several others are set in the Tortallan kingdom and surrounding lands, but feature new and interesting characters.

The best thing about these stories, though, is that they can tackle tough topics without losing the reader's interest in the fantastic. Morality, murder, discrimination, sexism, abuse...it's all there with tough, interesting characters in fascinating situations to take it on. I ended just about each story with a smile on my face (sometimes a tear in my eye...) and a warm feeling in my heart.

Well worth checking out!

It Gets Better

It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living
Ed. by Dan Savage and Terry Miller

Every story can change a life.

Growing up isn't easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, making them feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted - even tortured - simply for being themselves.

After a number of tragic suicides by LGBT students who were bullied in school, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for LGBT youth facing harassment. Speaking openly about the bullying they suffered as teenagers, and how they both went on to lead rewarding adult lives, their video launched the It Gets Better Project YouTube channel and initiated a worldwide phenomenon. With over 6,000 videos posted and over 20 million views in the first three months alone, the world has embraced the opportunity to provide personal, honest and heartfelt support for LGBT youth everywhere.

It Gets Better is a collection of expanded essays and new material from celebrities, everyday people and teens who have posted videos of encouragement, as well as new contributors who have yet to post videos to the site. While many of these teens couldn't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the levels of happiness, potential and positivity their lives will reach if they can just get through their teen years. By sharing these stories, It Gets Better reminds teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone - and it WILL get better. (description from Amazon.com)

I am truly proud to have this book in my library collection. Though I am not homosexual, many people are, and finally...finally, people are starting to openly accept this in our society. However, the changes that we've seen - celebrities opening up about their homosexuality, homosexual marriages becoming legal in some states, etc. - are still not quite trickling down to the day to day existence of most teens in the US.

In too many places, teens are ridiculing other teens' sexual preferences because of either their own insecurities or the prejudices they've been raised with. A book like this, built on the YouTube phenomenon project "It Gets Better," really will help individual teens to remember that they are not alone. There are people that they can talk to and if they can just make it through to becoming an adult, it will become better.

This book does not promote the illusion that one day *click* everything will just fall in to place and their lives will be perfect and conflict-free. What it does is shares stories of people who have made it to a better place. Maybe not the perfect place, but one where suicide is not a daily consideration...where the average person around you does not belittle you...where you can actually be who you are without worrying about the consequences.

In reality, this is not just something that LGBT teens long for...it's so easy to get wrapped up in our own lives as teenagers. Everything feels so horrifically dramatic when you can't quite seem to figure out who you are. This is the same, no matter your sexuality. This is really why a book like this is important. Not only does it support LGBT teens, but heterosexual teens (and adults) can benefit from reading, as well. Each vignette serves as a reminder that for every time you ever felt bullied and belittled, someone else did too, for whatever reason. If this causes you to say one nice thing to one person each day, then the book did a world of good!!

Remedial Magic

Remedial Magic
by Jenna Black
A Faeriewalker series bonus story

Having a prodigy for an older brother is not so fun…especially one who is magic wiz-kid. But Kimber has a plan to finally step out of his shadow. (description...such as it is...from Amazon.com)

I really enjoy this series. I received the second book to review, but decided to go back and read the first, Glimmerglass before starting Shadowspell. Those books are from the perspective of Dana, a girl who decides to go live with her Fae father and experiences Avalon and the Fae kingdoms for the first time.

This short story is actually from the perspective of a girl she meets in Avalon. Kimber is the younger sister of Ethan, a magically powerful boy that starts pursuing Dana. Kimber actually becomes her best friend and is one of my favorite side characters in the series. I loved reading this story, even short as it was, from her view. I'd love to see more from her someday!

If you've never read any of the Faeriewalker series, I'd suggest you either get a taste with this free ebook or start with Glimmerglass. Hopefully, you'll get as hooked as I am!

Retro Demonology

Retro Demonology
by Jana Oliver
A Demon Trapper's Daughter, bonus story

Before Riley Blackthorne can take on Grade Five demons, she has to trap her very first. Her debut solo trapping experience should be a breeze, just a harmless Grade One after all. But throw in some dippy hippies (whose peace signs and Patchouli really aren’t driving any demons away), one mischievous demon, and a run-in with the police, and Riley might not be able to pull it off... (description from Amazon.com)

I haven't yet had a chance to read The Demon Trapper's Daughter but I will be soon! Riley's snarkiness and the interesting premise of this short story totally drew me right in. I love that there are little Bibliodemons that live to destroy books. Fighting those would be right up my alley. In fact, there is a pretty cool Librarian in this story, which I totally loved. :)

Corsets and Clockwork

Corsets and Clockwork
ed. by Trisha Telep

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White. (description from Amazon.com)

I am a huge steampunk fan so I was stoked to read this book featuring tons of great authors each spinning their own steampunk tale. They did not disappoint me! Each tale was full of machinery, adventure, and romance. I was swept over and over into new and exciting worlds.

Though it's hard in a collection like this to pick favorites, I will name three stories that really stood out for me:

Wild Magic by Ann Aguirre - This steampunk also featured a lot of fantasy with wild fey magic that had become illegal. It was a great story about love overcoming one's duty and class barriers. (Now I have to go read Enclave because I really loved Aguirre's writing style!!)

Under Amber Skies by Maria Snyder - This interesting tale was set in Poland during World War II. It had lots of really ingenious steampunk inventions, including little protection crabs. Really cool.

Tick, Tick, Boom by Kiersten White - This tale featured a super smart female protagonist who is a secret revolutionary. When her day to day and secret lives collide it makes for very interesting sparks!

Steampunk lovers and newbies who want to tiptoe their way into the genre would both do well to read this collection. I enjoyed it from start to finish!!

Full disclosure: ARC received from Book It Forward ARC Tours

Lips Touch: Three Times

Lips Touch: Three Times
by Laini Taylor

Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?

Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.

Hatchling: Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I am sooooo glad that I finally got to this book. I first heard about it at BEA two years ago, immediately put it on my list of Books To Read, and it just lingered there ever since. Honestly, I even checked it out from the Library twice...and never read it. I just kept finding other books that I was dying to read more.

Let me tell you, though, Laini Taylor's writing is mysterious, beautiful, dark, destructive, and yet hopeful and breathtaking. I was listening to this as an audio book in my car and I couldn't wait to get back into the car at the end of the day to drive home from work because I had to know what happened to each girl next. I was totally hooked!

The first story, Goblin Fruit, is lyrical and compelling. It's insidious and tempting. It's short but punches a big impact. I had thought that Taylor wouldn't be able to top that when she blew me away with the concept for Spicy Little Curses. That was heartbreaking and courageous. Then...then I listened to Hatchling. What an amazing world that Taylor has created. I was enraptured as I listened, drawing deeper and deeper into the cold, nightmare world of the Druje. I loved the layering of different generations, love stories, and how each character was fleshed out as the story's complexities unfolded.

All be told, when I was done, I wanted to start over again. *Sigh* These were great short stories. I should have read this years ago...

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile magazine

Bloody Valentine

Bloody Valentine
by Melissa De La Cruz
Blue Bloods novella

Vampires have powers beyond human comprehension: strength that defies logic, speed that cannot be captured on film, the ability to shapeshift and more. But in matters of the heart, no one, not even the strikingly beautiful and outrageously wealthy Blue Bloods, has total control. (description taken from Amazon.com)

This novella had three great short love stories. I think my favorite was the first story, Just Another Night in Suck City, featuring Oliver and a new character, Freya. Oliver is one of my favorite characters and I feel so sorry that his relationship with Schuyler is so tumultuous. The events in this story made me feel better, though. ;) I was also very excited to see that this story is a prelude to Melissa De La Cruz's next book, Witches of East End, coming this summer.

The other stories were about Allegra and Charles before Allegra leaves him and has Schuyler and then about Schuyler and Jack's bonding. They were both very good, but I had to really think about some of the details from the books that I couldn't remember right away... Especially with the bonding story, I had to remember that it was actually set before the newest book, Misguided Angel.

Definitely a fun read for fans of the Blue Bloods series.
PS - OMG. Love this cover. One of my absolute favorites!

Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love
ed. by Trisha Telep

If you can possibly thirst for more mysterious metaphysical accounts of love, Trisha Telep has organized some of the greatest and most thrilling tales of paranormal paramours since The Eternal Kiss. She presents the acclaimed literary talent of thirteen unique authors, creating a collection of stories that will undoubtedly capture the imagination of every soul who dares to read them. Werewolves, ghosts, zombies, vampires, and fallen angels drive the plot of these riveting romances. (description taken from Amazon.com)

I liked this anthology. It was full of some interesting stories by great YA authors. I really loved, too, that authors like Michelle Zink got to write something outside of the series they are now famous for...it was a real chance to show off their diverse abilities. Then, there were also stories like "Errant" by Diana Peterfreund and "Hare Moon" by Carrie Ryan that just delved even deeper into the fantastic worlds they've already created. For paranormal fans, this anthology is a must!

Oddly Enough

Oddly Enough
by Bruce Coville

Welcome to the weird world of Bruce Coville, a world populated by aliens and unicorns, willing werewolves and tender vampires, monsters and… more. A world where nothing is every quite what it seems—nor quite what you expect.

Come on in and take a walk on the odd side.

A fun romp into the odd parts of Bruce Coville's imagination. Nine stories take readers on a wild ride. My favorite was "The Language of Blood" - a really interesting asian-flavored take on vampires. I also really enjoyed a dystopian tale called "Old Glory" about a future where Americans vote to lose all their freedoms...very subtly creepy.

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile

Keys to the Repository

Keys to the Repository
by Melissa De La Cruz
Blue Bloods companion novel

Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods.
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I happen to really enjoy series companion books, but I know that there are people out there who think that they are a waste of time. This one is not! If you read the Blue Bloods series, not only does this give you slightly more indepth info on all of the characters, there are also new short stories, scenes written from different character viewpoints, and also previews for both Misguided Angel (book five) and a spin-off series called Wolf Pact.

This was a quick read, but very good, and left me holding my breath to read both Misguided Angel and Wolf Pact, book one ASAP!

Trailer - Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Zombies Vs. Unicorns ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

Okay, just had to post this, because well I loved it!!
See my review of the book here.

Teaser Tuesday - Zombies Vs. Unicorns ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!"


Zombies Vs. Unicorns
ed. by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister

p. 53

"...Probably he's trying to make himself immortal, which never works, except wizards never listen when you tell them that, and we would really prefer if he got stopped before he cuts off the babies' horns trying."
"Let me guess," Alison said. "Is his name Voldemort?"
"No, what freakish kind of name is Voldemort?"the unicorn said. "His name is Otto, Otto Penzler. He lives downtown."