Publisher: Tor Books Released: June 29, 2010 Genre: Adult urban fantasy
Bought.
Kitty Norville, Alpha werewolf and host of The Midnight Hour, a radio call-in show, is contacted by a friend at the NIH’s Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. Three Army soldiers recently returned from the war in Afghanistan are being held at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs. They’re killer werewolves—and post traumatic stress has left them unable to control their shape-shifting and unable to interact with people. Kitty agrees to see them, hoping to help by bringing them into her pack.
Meanwhile, Kitty gets sued for libel by CEO Harold Franklin after featuring Speedy Mart–his nationwide chain of 24-hour convenience stores with a reputation for attracting supernatural unpleasantness–on her show.
I love this series. In fact, I’d have to say it was one of my fave adult urban fantasy series. Kitty is just a kick-ass heroine. Even though she’s been alpha for some time now, she still worries about whether or not she’s capable of doing the job.
These books never disappoint me. Ever. I know I can always count on Vaughn to give me an action-packed, well thought out urban fantasy novel, and Kitty Goes to War is no different.
I loved how the two main plots – the war vets and the Speedy Mart case – balance each other out nicely. While the Speedy Mart plot was serious, it was much lighter than the post-traumatic soldier werewolves. Oh, and can I just say how much I LOVE having Cormac back in the thick of things? And the fact that he’s been dealing with his own supernatural stuff was a great twist and should play out nicely in the next few books.
Kitty Goes to War was just a great all around read and I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out.
So, so excited right now for you guys! I was lucky enough to not only get a chance to ask new fave author Maggie Stiefvater some questions about her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, but I also have one copy of Linger to giveaway to a lucky Canadian reader! I know, the awesomeness is just oozing around here today. 😀
First up the Q & A:
LL: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time out to answer a few questions. I’m a new fan, but a big one.In your Wolves of Mercy Falls series, you take a very different approach to the mythos of the werewolf. Were you nervous before Shiver was published that fans of werewolf fiction might scoff at/not approve of your take on werewolves?
MS: There was a brief moment after I’d finished it where I thought I HAVE KILLED THE WEREWOLF MYTHOS ENTIRELY, THEY WILL KILL ME WITH PITCHFORKS. But then I thought, you know what? I’m not really into werewolves myself (yes, this surprises everyone) and surely there must be others out there the same way. The thing about paranormal creatures is that they ought to represent a metaphor for something in our culture, and the old werewolf myth doesn’t really reflect current fears. I wanted mine to stand for the fear of losing your personal identity, something that I think’s really relevent in our homogenized, suburban society.
LL: Sam is constantly composing song lyrics in his head. Do you have any lyrics in particualr that you love?
MS: Of his? Or in general? He has a very emo-angsty set of lyrics in Linger about saying good-bye that I’m fond of. But of other people’s lyrics, I have to say I love The Shins. Songs like their absolutely beautiful “A Comet Appears” are both musically lovely and lyrically incredible:
“We can blow on our thumbs and posture,
But the lonely are such delicate things,
The wind from a wasp could blow them,
Into the sea,
With stones on their feet,
Lost to the light and the loving we need,”
LL: For Sam, winter and summer appear as too very polar opposites, with winter representing cold, isolation(despite having his pack) and longing while summer embodies warmth, familiartiy and belonging. Do you prefer one season over the other?
MS: I do indeed. But it’s neither summer nor winter. I’m a fall person, through and through. Possibly this is because I was born in November and I just spent so much of my childhood selfishly looking forward to my birthday that I can’t get over it. But fall — I feel more creative in fall. Plus, it’s an edge. There’s something about edges of things — fall as an edge at the end of the year, evening as an edge at the end of the day . . . *dreamy*
LL: Linger is one of the most aniticipated releases of the summer. Are there any books that are on your must-read list for the upcoming summer/fall season?
MS: Hmmm. I just picked up an advanced copy of THE MARBURY LENS at ALA and I’m really, really hoping to love it. But really my answer is the same as everyone’s, isn’t it? I WANT MOCKINGJAY.
LL: Once again, thanks so much for answering my questions. I hope that not all of them were repeats! 🙂
MS: They were great questions. 🙂 Thank you.
I’m such a fan-girl that I still can’t believe that I actually got the chance to have Maggie over to my little corner of the blogosphere! *takes moment to once again do her happy fan-girl dance*
OK, I’m back. And now for the giveaway!
As usual I’m going to make this short and sweet and fun. Just comment below and tell me besides Linger (duh!) what other books are you most looking forward to reading in the next few months. That’s it. Easy-peasy. I’ll run the contest until the 5th of August. And, yeah, you have to be in Canada.
If you feel like following me, cool, but you don’t have to. What you should do, though, is follow Maggie. She’s is one of my favorite twitter peeps. And she’s on Facebook. And – ah heck, you know what? Here’s a list of places you can find Maggie online. A list is much easier than me rambling on, eh?
Oh, before I go, have you had a chance to see Maggie’s Linger book trailer? It’s good. Actually it’s more than that. It’s simply beautiful and the best book trailer I’ve seen. I still tear up when I watch it. Stunning.
Make sure to pop back in tomorrow for my gushing fangirl review of Linger.
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf — her wolf — is a haunting presence she can’t seem to live without.
Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human — or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Yes, I know I am coming late to the party with this one, but my God am I ever glad came! Shiver is one of those books I kept hearing about but didn’t want to read because of the major love story (since I’m not a huge romance fan). But finally I gave into the buzz, which has started once again since the second book, Linger is due out July 20th.
This is definitely a love story. And it’s a well written, engrossing, sweet love story. And, well, I loved it.
I loved everything about Shiver, right down to the color of the text. Shiver‘s cover has different shades of dusky blue-grays and it’s this blue-gray that is used for the color of the font. I never really thought of the color of font in a book before, because it’s almost always black. But the blue-gray of the words added to the mood and tone of the book, enhancing the reading experience.
Stiefvater’s way with words, particularly describing action and movement, was stellar. In one scene where Sam is upset, she describes him so vividly with his hands laced behind his head, pacing, that I felt like I was right there with him.
And while this was a love story, it wasn’t over done. It’s books like Shiver that are helping me to realize that I actually can read a book about love and romance and enjoy it, as long as it’s done the right way. From the get-go I was rooting for Sam and Grace and I was completely absorbed in their story.
For me, the true testament to a good book is how I feel once I am finished. Am I satisfied? Do I want to learn more about these characters? Do I want to share the book with everyone I know? It was a yes on all three counts. I finished Shiver, put the book down, sighed and impatiently started waiting for the release of Linger.
Thanks muchly to Scholastic Canada for sending a review copy my way.
Tales of the Otherworld explores the lives of some of Armstrong’s most popular characters, giving readers glimpses into how Clay and Elena met, how Eve and Kristof first hooked up (a brand new novella), and how Lucas and Paige got married.
Kelley is one of my top 3 favorite authors of forever and ever, so it’s no big surprise that I adored Tales of the Otherworld. The writing and storylines were stellar and it was great to get some backstory on fave characters.
You know when your favorite TV show does one of those “way back in the beginning” episodes where you get a glimpse into the lives of the characters before the show started? Well, that’s exactly what Tales of the Otherworld was for me. It was bittersweet to read about Clay and Elena’s first encounter since most readers know what happens after. Same goes for Eve and Kristof. When reading their stories it was wonderful to see how far they have come, especially Elena.
To offset the seriousness of some of the short stories, Kelley included the telling of Paige and Lucas’ wedding, which offered up a bit of comic relief. We also get to witness a brief encountered between Lucas and Eve, which was interesting just in the fact of how their lives end up intertwining years later.
Kelley’s writing style, plots and character development always draw me in and keep me engage, and Tales of the Otherworld was no different. Fans of the Women of the Otherworld series will love these short stories and new fans will most likely become addicted to Kelley’s writing and world.
Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and take out the Edison Group . . . or so we hope.
From Random House Canada website
Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, plain and simple. I’ve read everything she has published and never once have I been disappointed. That goes for the final installment of her YA trilogy, The Reckoning, as well. I loved it.
This was another one day read for me, as all of Kelley’s books tend to be. Once I got into it, I simply didn’t want to put it down. The plot, the writing, the characters – it was all perfect.
I love Chloe as a main character and I was sad that the trilogy had ended. But at the same time that’s the great thing about Kelley and her approach to her series: she writes what the series needs, not necessarily what her audience wants. She’s taken flack for this in the past, but I think it’s great. And also one of the reasons her writing and her series never get stale.
Okay, the book. What can I say? There’s a lot of personal growth for the characters in The Reckoning and it was nice to see the four come together and work as a group. Chloe also learns more about her powers and how to use them. Dereck, who was my least favorite character in the first two books, emerged as my favorite character. We get a better understanding for him and some of the actions he takes.
There’s a bit of romance, but just a smidgen, which is perfect for my tastes. The romantic stuff is very secondary to the plot, so it never felt like this was a romance disguised as a paranormal book.
Kelley’s writing style is descriptive, yet quick and the action flows at a break neck speed. And the scenes where Chloe does some of her necromancer stuff? Goosebumpy fun! I also loved the nods to her Women of the Otherworld series. Every time a Cabal was mentioned, or the werewolf pack, I giggled just a bit.
Publisher: Tor Books
Lavender Lines 