Category: Fantasy

dumort?

Posted on by Greig

City of Bones

Cassandra Clare

City of BonesThe first book in the Mortal Instruments introduces the protagonist – Clary – to a world filled with demons, monsters and the humans who hunt them.
It’s a very readable piece of young adult urban fantasy with a slightly dodgy romantic triangle subplot.
I blasted through this really quickly and yet I really can’t see myself reading any further books in the series. There’s nothing really wrong with it – I just don’t think it’s for me.
Recommended if you’re looking for a solid piece of YA romantic fantasy.

Rating: B-

rafters?

Posted on by Greig

Midnight Blue-Light Special

Seanan McGuire

midnight blue light specialThe second InCryptid book returns to follow Verity Price as she looks to defend New York’s Cryptid population from a Covenant purge.
Like the first book in this series (Discount Armageddon) this is a fun, action filled piece of urban fantasy.
It’s all wee bit generic but way too entertaining to quibble about it.
Recommended for urban fantasy fans.

Rating: B+

gingerbread?

Posted on by Greig

Discount Armageddon

Seanan McGuire

This daft, delicious piece of urban fantasy stars the ballroom dancing cryptozoologist Verity Price.
The plot is kind of mental but it’s a lot of fun.
McGuire writes compulsively readable books and heroines are always ridiculously compelling.
I prefer the Toby Daye books but I’d still recommend this one without hesitation particularly if you love urban fantasy with a twist of absurdity.

Rating: B+

quarkbeast?

Posted on by Greig

The Last Dragonslayer

Jasper Fforde

This is a young adult comic fantasy by the author of the Thursday Next books.
Jennifer Strange, a 15 year old foundling, runs an employment agency for magical practitioners. It’s all going relatively smoothly until a premonition of the death of the last living dragon causes chaos.
The comic approach in this book is so distinctively Fforde that even if you hadn’t noticed the author’s name on the cover you could tell this who the author is within a couple of pages.
I enjoyed it a fair bit – enough that I’m going to read the sequel – but it is a very slight tale.
Give it a go if you’ve liked Fforde’s other stuff.

Rating: B

dampener?

Posted on by Greig

Ashes of Honor

Seanan McGuire

The latest Toby Daye book finds her using her investigative talents to find another missing teenager.
This girl is a changeling teleporter whose powers threaten to damage the physical realms of the Fay.
Another enjoyable read, with a much happier ending than the last book in the series.
Recommended for fans of the series – start at the beginning if you’re tempted.

Rating: B+

dirigible?

Posted on by Greig

Changeless

Gail Carriger

The sequel to Soulless finds Alexia busy with her new roles in life and caught up in a mystery when Werewolves can no longer transform, Vampires become human and Ghosts are exorcised with no apparent cause.
Chasing the cause finds her taking a zeppelin ride north to Scotland.
This is a perfectly well constructed book and I still like the lead character – I just found myself getting tired of the ‘witty’ faux Victorian banter and I had to force myself to read it to the conclusion.
Only recommended to those who enjoy the Victorian aspect of the books.

Rating: C+

scraps?

Posted on by Greig

One Salt Sea

Seanan McGuire

War is brewing in Faerie when the children of the rulers of the neighbouring sea Kingdom are taken and the Queen of Mists court is implicated.
Toby’s investigations gain an extra degree of urgency when her own daughter is kidnapped too.
A thoroughly satisfying read, with a heartbreaking ending.
To repeat myself once again – if you’ve read the earlier October Daye books then you really do want to read this one.

Rating: B+

pearl?

Posted on by Greig

Late Eclipses

Seanan McGuire

Toby finds herself under suspicion when friends and allies begin to be poisoned and she can’t prove that notorious murderer Oleander de Merelands is back and up to her old tricks.
This is another hugely entertaining entry in the series by McGuire. The main plot is very satisfying and the background plot arc grows ever more intriguing.
If you’ve read the earlier Toby Daye books – you have to read this one.

Rating: B+

carter?

Posted on by Greig

An Artificial Night

Seanan McGuire

When Toby’s friend’s children disappear in the night she’s quickly on the case only to find herself embroiled with the crazed Firstborn Blind Michael.
This installment is just as entertaining and enjoyable as the previous books in the Toby Daye series. McGuire reveals the back story of her world with perfect timing and as a result I’m totally invested in the series.
A must read if you’ve read the first two.

Rating: B+

reboot?

Posted on by Greig

A Local Habitation

Seanan McGuire

The second October Daye book finds the changeling PI investigating a mystery at a Fae run computer company.
This sequel is another well constructed and enjoyable urban fantasy detective novel. It’s only flaw is that it doesn’t significantly advance the intriguing back story of the lead character.
I’ve decided that I really like Toby Daye and I’ll probably be sticking with the series while this remains the case.
Probably not the place to start the series but recommended if you enjoyed the first book in the series.

Rating: B+