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A new look at the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. In the kingdom there is a truce that balances the Fae and humans from the evil Vila. Wealthy humans buy beauty, grace and good health from The Graces who have been blessed with Fae blood. There is one Grace who has not been blessed but still serves the Briar with her mild curse and tainted blood. Alyce, nicknamed Malice is shunned by all except Princess Aurora who befriends her and seeks her help in breaking the curse that will end her life unless she finds true love. Alyce is starting to understand that she may be more powerful but that might not save her from being used for evil. This is a well thought out retelling and the start of a promising new series. Aurora is not your average Disney princess and Alyce is not your average bad fairy sorceress. This will be a great crossover from young adult to adult fantasy readers. 4 stars 
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In the fields outside Paris in 1925, a magic circus appears out of nowhere to astonish a few lucky ticket holders only to disappear as suddenly as it came. In present day Virginia the descendant of another European circus is stood up at the alter as her fiancee disappears without a trace. Lara knows her magic abilities have been handed down from the circus past but once she starts to track down the orgins of a special painting and a journal her lineage will bring both answers and great danger. This is a wonderful mix of life in the 20's Paris where creative magic and art flourished as well as the danger of a fantasy circus of cursed performers and illusive magic of the dark side. For fans of NIGHT CIRCUS, DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and lovers of the exciting world of Paris in the 20's. 4 stars  A young boy with the unique ability to see the dead soon after they have passed causes some worry for his single mom while others see only opportunity. Jaime, like other kid characters by this author , has a good heart, a great sense of humor and a trusting nature so when his mom's ex friend a drugged police detective snags him to help her find a dead terrorist's last bomb, he gets in the car. He will regret that car ride for the rest of his life. This slim novel combines all the best elements for which Stephen King is known for - terror, believable vulnerable characters that we identify with and a good dose of humor to let off some steam. For fans of the author as well as those that enjoy a coming of age story that will scare you while it steals your heart. 4 stars  June is obsessed with space travel and the science behind it. She is brilliant which gets her a spot in a coveted space exploration training school where her mind is far beyond many of her peers but she is socially immature. When she is picked for a mission it takes her some time to feel comfortable with the close quarters and physicality of deep space. She ends up running into her Uncle's favorite student James and they fall for each other's brain and body. Finding out what happened to a spacecraft that went off the radar years earlier became her obsession and continues once she is in space. There is a strange lack of punctuation which makes it difficult to read at times and I found myself wanting to skip some of her training to get into space and solving the puzzle. I felt like her attraction to James was due more in seeking his approval much the same way she sought out her uncle's approval and less of a "love match". It is a satisfying look at what it takes to make the leap into deep space and one that fans of 2001 A SPACE ODDESSEY and THE MARTIAN will appreciate. 3 1/2 stars  This is a genre mash-up with a new voice. In post Civil War Philadelphia Hetty and her husband Benjy were once part of the Underground Railroad and now help solve mysteries the police have no interest in. They use the star magic that once helped them stay clear of danger while working on the railroad and the danger that is still present even in the free North. Together they are trying to solve the murder of a friend and keep a low profile which isn't easy. Just the right mix of historical fiction with the added bonus of fantasy and the use of magic. The book moves swiftly with an authentic voice and the marked tension of Hetty and Benjy's arranged marriage adds a slight romantic element. 4 stars  Klara is an artificial friend to a teenager named Josie. Her only task is to provide companionship to this young girl who is suffering from a disease that may end her life and frequently keeps her from doing all the fun things someone her age would be doing. Josie has another friend Rick the boy next door, who like Klara would do anything for Josie. Klara has a mission and attempts to save Josie by asking the sun for a miracle. Ishiguro gives Klara a vast amount of quiet insight and kindness, so that we tend to forget that she is not human. The adults in Josie's life all seem to have ulterior motives and it is Klara and Rick's determination to save Josie that gives the book its heart. Quiet and serene as a Koi fish pond, this book makes us look to a future with AI such as Klara as something we should not fear. He is the master of subtle science fiction. 4 stars  Two scientists married to each other rarely works out and Evelyn is so deep into her research on cloning that she barely notices her husband is gone, now living with a new fiancé and baby on the way. Something happens to put Evelyn and Martine into a position of being allies forcing them to work together. This should be easy since Martine is a carbon copy of Evelyn. The problem with creating clones is that you still have the basic good and bad behavior of the original. These two women choose to pick their own path not the one they were programmed by men to follow. It is a smart look at cloning and really scary because it seems so believable. 4 1/2 stars  As a fan of SLEEPING GIANTS I expected Neuvel's next book to be similar but this one takes her to another level. This book is a mash up of ancient aliens and a race to be the first nation to build rockets to travel up into space. But, as humans we have almost always looked to conquer a new frontier by weaponizing the technology, this is also about war, weapons and power. It is a race between American, German and Soviet scientists to design rocket technology and an old as time secret group of people who are manipulating things to go their way. Sarah and her daughter Mia are part of the Kibsu an ancient race who have an interesting way of furthering their line. They still need a man to have a child but all female babies take all of their genetic material from the mom. They are highly intelligent, very strong , vicious when cornered and we think they have been put on this Earth to guide humans to build rockets. If only it were that simple but there is an equally ancient and vicious group called "the trackers" who are out to search and destroy all the Kibsu. This makes the story move at a very fast pace covering so many genres - historically regarding the war and efforts to steal scientists, fantasy with the ancient Kibsu and their foe and the mother/daughter relationship over time. 4 stars  This book is set up as a prequel to the popular Tearling series but even if you haven't read THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING you will have no problem enjoying this as a standalone. Erika Johansen does a fabulous job of world-building with well thought out characters. The Tearling is in trouble. Everyone is corrupt and the kingdom is being dragged down by politics. For those readers who love Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin, this book will not disappoint. 4 stars  Jamie has the ability to read and then erase minds and working as a part-time bank robber. Zoe is super strong and travels at hyper-speed working part-time as a superhero thwarting bad guys. They meet at a support group and come to an uneasy truce to discover their past, the origin of their powers and save the world. In this new crop of unreliable superhero stories such as HENCH, A BEAUTIFUL FOOLISH ENDEAVOR and THE CITY WE BECAME comes a story of misguided goodness and a bit of badass superpowers. Mike Chen has the ability to take a story of people with unbelievable powers and present them as ordinary, semi-lost twenty somethings. Very readable, fast paced and laced with humor, you will find yourself liking these guys flaws and all. 4 stars  |
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