Urban Fantasy » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

REVIEW: Vodnik by Bryce Moore

Posted by Anastasia on April 27, 2012 No Responses »

Apr 272012

060. Vodnik by Bryce Moore
Publication: Tu Books (March 1, 2012), eARC, 368pp / ISBN 1600608523
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, Action

Read: March 30-31, 2012
Source: NetGalley (thank you!)

Summary from Amazon:

When Tomas was six, someone–something–tried to drown him. And burn him to a crisp. Tomas survived, but whatever was trying to kill him freaked out his parents enough to convince them to move from Slovakia to the United States.

Now sixteen-year-old Tomas and his family are back in Slovakia, and that something still lurks somewhere. Nearby. Ready to drown him again and imprison his soul in a teacup.

Then there’s the fire víla, the water ghost, the pitchfork-happy city folk, and Death herself who are all after him.

All this sounds a bit comical, unless the one haunted by water ghosts and fire vílas or doing time in a cramped, internet-deprived teacup is you.

If Tomas wants to survive, he’ll have to embrace the meaning behind the Slovak proverb, So smrťou ešte nik zmluvu neurobil. With Death, nobody makes a pact.

Review

For some reason I had a really hard time writing this review– not because I didn’t like Vodnik, but because there’s so much stuff to talk about that I couldn’t figure out where to start! Vodnik has got almost everything I want in a YA book: it’s set in a non-US/non-England location, it stars a not-completely-white kid, it’s got exciting action stuff and fun fantasy elements and it ALSO deals with discrimination and bullying and death! And it’s not even that badly written; if I was a teenage person I’d probably love this book a lot. As an adult person, I LIKE it but I’m not overwhelmed with my love for it. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Haint Misbehavin’, The Tail of Emily Windsnap, Pizzicato

Posted by Anastasia on March 26, 2012 No Responses »

Mar 262012

041. Haint Misbehavin’ by Maureen Hardegree
Publication: Bell Bridge Books (June 6, 2010), ebook, 206pp / ISBN 1935661930
Genre: MG (maybe young YA?) Urban Fantasy

Read: February 28, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I liked this one a LOT more than I thought I would, based on that horrible cover. It reminds me a lot of a Judy Blume book for some reason (maybe the fighting siblings/bullying aspect?) only there are ghosts and hauntings and it’s set in the South. Heather is a tough character to like– she’s sympathetic because her sister is so horrible to her and because of the whole “this ghost kid is ruining my life” thing, but she’s also really whiny and awkward in a way that makes you want to cringe. She spends a lot of the book running around denying who she is, hiding from the bullies, and being basically completely clueless. So I can understand why some people didn’t like her! Continue reading »

REVIEW: American Gods: 10th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman

Posted by Anastasia on March 16, 2012 8 Responses »

Mar 162012

030. American Gods: 10th Anniversary Edition by Neil Gaiman
Publication: William Morrow (June 21, 2011), originally published 2001, ebook, 565pp / ISBN 0062059882
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Read: February 10-12, 2012
Source: Bought

Summary from Amazon:

First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic—an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this tenth anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neil Gaiman.

A storm is coming . . .

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.

Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. Along the way Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.

Review

The first time I read American Gods was back in 2006, and while I remember liking it I ALSO remember not really “getting” it. I didn’t understand a lot of it– mainly I couldn’t understand Shadow, who came off as emotionless and weird and scary. Now, though, six years later, I TOTALLY get it. I understand Shadow not the carboard-y character I thought he was at first. I understand the main plot, with the gods and their war and whatever. I even understand the underlying symbolism stuff! Understanding stuff that I didn’t the first time I read a book is what makes rereading worth it, imo. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: I Want it Now!, Ghost College, The Art of Money Getting

Posted by Anastasia on January 24, 2012 2 Responses »

Jan 242012

007. I Want it Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Julie Dawn Cole & Michael Esslinger
Publication: BearManor Media / Ocean View Publishing (July 12, 2011), ebook, 252pp / ISBN 1593930747
Genre: Memoir

Read: January 13-14, 2012
Source: Freebie

Review

Memoirs from celebrities are, I think, always hit-or-miss, and this one is sort of between the two. It’s not a bad book, necessarily, it’s just that it’s kind of boring. The writing is bland and though it’s interesting to learn more about JDC and the other people from the movie, it’s not as entertaining a read as, say, William Shatner’s memoir about Star Trek is. The best part of the book is probably the pictures and memorabilia, however. JDC included some letters she wrote her family from the set of Willy Wonka, and they’re adorable and funny and really fun to read.

Rating

It was an okay read.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Amazon or BookDepository.com and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog through the power of affiliate earnings!

009. Ghost College by Scott Nicholson & J.R. Rain
Publication: self-published (year?), ebook, 68pp / no isbn
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Read: January 15, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I don’t think I remembered that this was a novella when I started reading it, which is probably why I was so surprised at how quickly the mystery/action resolved itself! I think this could totally be expanded into a longer book, which might help with the problem I had with the switch from the “is something really happening” part into the “yes, something’s happening” part. It’s abrupt and kinda ruins the suspense.

Besides that, I did enjoy reading it. I loved the protagonists– they’re so cute!– and I like the idea of paranormal investigators actually finding paranormal stuff. It seems like a fun series and the writing isn’t bad, and I’d read more from either author.

Rating

Not bad! I didn’t notice any typos or other weird stuff you sometimes find in self-pub’d books, either.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Amazon and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog through the power of affiliate earnings!

010. The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum
Publication: originally published 1880, ebook, 45pp / no isbn
Genre: Financial advice

Read: January 15-16, 2012
Source: Freebie (it’s public domain)

Mini-Review

I read this merely because I was tired of modern stuff and wanted something different, and this is the first thing I stumbled upon when looking around the iBookstore. Basically? It’s Ye Olde Financial Advice from P.T. Barnum, who I suppose would be the one to go to when wanting to learn more about getting money. The hilarious thing is that the tips he gives– don’t spend more than you earn, keep your debt down– and exactly the same sorts of tips that modern financial advisers tell people. So does that say more about them, or about us?

Rating

Maybe not as entertaining as you’d think it be coming from P.T. Barnum.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Project Gutenberg for free!

REVIEW NOTES: Those Who Hunt the Night, Anna and the French Kiss, Making a Living Without a Job

Posted by Anastasia on January 4, 2012 3 Responses »

Jan 042012

I want to finish up on 2011′s reviews so I can start 2012! So, very quickly: review notes of three books!

167. Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly
Publication: Open Road (March 29, 2011), ebook, 350pp / ISBN 0345361326
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Paranormal, Mystery

Read: December 11-17, 2011
Source: eBookFling borrow

Review Notes

- Vampires! Yay. I’ve actually started to like vampires again…sort of.
- Vampires who do vampire-y things like eat people and be inhuman and stuff! Double yay.
- Interesting detective character– one of those amateur detectives who get in over their head, but not in a cozy mystery sort of way. I like his wife, too, who’s one of those modern-ish women in a historical fiction sort of people. But in a non-annoying way.
- It did feel a bit like “let me describe this fantasy world to you so you know how interesting/different it is compared to your world” whenever the vampires said something.
- Didn’t expect the solution! That’s good, right? I think it is.

Rating

Overall, I LOVED this book. The mystery was good, the characters were interesting, and although I didn’t like how much explaining re:vampires and their awesome vampire world was in there I still liked the writing.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Amazon or BookDepository.com and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog through the power of affiliate earnings!

168. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Publication: Speak (August 4, 2011), ebook, 386pp / ISBN 0142419400
Genre: YA Romance

Read: December 21-23, 2011
Source: Freebie

Review Notes

- So cute!
- THIS BOOK CUTE BEYOND BELIEF
- Tell Your Girlfriend is totally the theme song.
- Maybe too much emphasis on how hot St. Clair is compared to everything else about him, but the romance builds in a way that I love. Plus St. Clair/Anna DO like more about each other than just how hot the other person is.
- Plus yay changing each other for the better!

Rating

ALL THE POSITIVE HYPE WAS TRUE.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Amazon or BookDepository.com and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog through the power of affiliate earnings!

169. Making a Living Without a Job by Barbara J. Winter
Publication: Bantam (July 1, 1993), Paperback, 272pp / ISBN 0553371657
Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help

Read: December 24-31, 2011
Source: Gift

Review Notes

- Outdated a bit, but still v. good. Talks about mailing lists and using computers to do finances or something– recommends finding books via an offline searching service! There IS a newer version out now, though, which is good.
- Inspiring! And it helped me figure out what sort of things I’m good at already, things that I could apply towards making money (either in a “real” business or otherwise).
- Could maybe use a section on how to actually create business beyond having an idea. Doesn’t talk about anything re:how to find that info, either.

Rating

Should have read the updated version, but I still liked it. Best part was the bit that tells you how to increase your self-confidence. I needed that!

Buy

Get your own copy @ Amazon or BookDepository.com and support Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog through the power of affiliate earnings!

REVIEW: The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong

Posted by Anastasia on September 16, 2011 5 Responses »

Sep 162011

Book cover: The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Book cover: The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

Book cover: The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

93-95. Darkest Powers #1-3 by Kelley Armstrong
Publication:
Book 1: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (March 31, 2009), Paperback, 416pp / ISBN 0061450545
Book 2: HarperCollins (April 28, 2009), ebook, 384pp / ISBN 0061450553
Book 3: HarperCollins (April 6, 2010), ebook, 416pp / ISBN 0061662836
Genre: YA Paranormal

Read: August 5-9, 2011 (entire series)
Source: Sandy for the first book (thanks so much!), and I bought the next two books

Summary of The Summoning from Amazon:

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.

All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.

Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens. Yet the home isn’t what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.

Review

Sandy and I were talking during the blogger reception thing at BEA this year about paranormal YA books and how a lot of them are basically copies of one another. Also, that some things (okay, a lot of things) about paranormal books annoy me. If you’ve been my blog for a while you’ve no doubt that noticed that I tend to get really annoyed about such things as “love” at first sight, everyone being soulmates, romantic gestures that are actually really stalkerish, and how everyone always thinks they’re going to be together forever (and then they are). Cynical? Maybe. I’d just like a little variety, you know? It’s not the end of the world if your vampire boyfriend breaks up with you, and that hot guy in gym class that you saw that one time is not your soulmate. Just. C’mon.

ANYWAY, Sandy told me about the Darkest Powers series, and about how it was different and good and then she offered to send me the first book so I could read it for myself and OH MY GOD SANDY you were so right. This series? To use the vernacular of paranormal romances: it’s like this series and I were meant to be. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: Jane-Emily, Mechanique, Hounded

Posted by Anastasia on September 5, 2011 7 Responses »

Sep 052011

As always, click on a book’s cover to go to its Amazon page.

83. Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp
Publication: Harper Paperbacks (August 7, 2007), originally published 1969, Paperback, ~130pp / ISBN 0061245011
Genre: Children’s Horror

Read: July 26, 2011
Source: Bought

Review

Things that scare me: evil children, ghosts, haunted houses, evil child ghosts haunting houses, evil child ghosts haunting houses and trying to kill people. Jane-Emily has all that and more! It’s a short book, but I got so freaked out during the course of reading it that I was sure a ghost was hovering right behind me waiting to pounce.

For all that it’s a ghost story, it’s more psychological horror than anything else. If you like that sort of thing then you’d no doubt enjoy Jane-Emily. I think it’d make a great book for RIP VI, too!

Rating

I nearly couldn’t sleep after reading this book. It’s great!

89. Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine
Publication: Prime Books (April 23, 2011), ebook, 320pp / ISBN 1607012537
Genre: Sci-fi

Read: July 30, 2011
Source: Gift

Review

This was a surprise gift from someone. Thank you, someone! I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, as I’m familiar with the author’s blog (which I love) and I adore stories set in a circus environment. Mechanique was great because not only did it have a circus, but it’s got steampunk/futuristic/apocalyptic elements as well, all tied together with some rather lovely poetic writing.

I really enjoyed Mechanique. It’s kind of a weird book, but it’s weird in a way I can appreciate. It’s kind of spooky, it’s kind of quirky and cool, and it’s also kind of tragic in a way. It’s not really a fast-paced, exciting plot, but it’s enthralling nevertheless and I think partly that’s because of the setting and the characters. Anyway, if you like circus stories with tragic characters and a bit of a steampunk/dystopia thing going on, you’d like Mechanique.

Rating

Well who wouldn’t enjoy a steampunk circus dystopian tragedy?

91. Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Publication: Del Rey (May 3, 2011), ebook, 320pp / ISBN 0345522478
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Read: July 31, 2011
Source: Bought

Review

I’ve been hearing really good things about Hounded for a while now, and so I finally decided to just go ahead and get it so I so find out if those good things are true. (I think it was on sale a while ago? Anyway–) Those good things are totally true, and I think Hounded is basically my new Dresden Files.

I guess I just have a soft spot for stories about snarky, heroic geeks and their supernatural friends. I also appreciate a bit of action, a bit of drama, some mystery and some romance (sort of). I also liked the emphasis on Celtic mythology, as that’s a bit different from what other urban fantasy books are doing. Unlike the Dresden Files series, there’s no noir-ness to Hounded, and I think there’s less emphasis on the mystery in favor of the characters (which could be either a good or a bad thing, depending on your story preference). It is, however, still a lot of fun, and I’m for sure going to continue reading the series.

Rating

Now that I’ve reviewed this I can finally read the second book. Huzzah!

Older Entries

Review

Mini-Review

Review

Review

Rating

Buy

Mini-Review

Rating

Buy

Mini-Review

Rating

Buy

Review Notes

Rating

Buy

Review Notes

Rating

Buy

Review Notes

Rating

Buy

Review

Review

Rating

Review

Rating

Review

Rating

Rating Guide

Currently Reading

Affiliates

Calendar

Subscribe

Reader Poll

Misc.

Also

Meta

Archives