Jeff Vandermeer put up the cover and preface for his book Booklife on writing methods and well, writing life. It’s poised to become a new staple in a writer’s library.
And apparently there’s a quote from me in it. I’m a sporadic reader/commenter on Jeff’s blog, so I can only assume I said something there that he liked. It looks like I’m going to have to buy the book to find out what the quote was.
Pride is the third book in Rachel Vincent’s werecat series and like the ones before it, it begins in the middle of a mess and ends with the characters looking forward to the next challenge.
Faythe Saunders is on trial for accidentally infecting her ex-boyfriend and being forced to kill him in self defense. There are three judges and two of them have problems with her father’s liberal choices in running his pride–like his decision to let Faythe be the first female enforcer ever. The job that finally pulled Faythe into feeling like her pride valued her for more than the (potential) contents of her uterus is why she encountered her ex in the first place. As for the third judge in her trial, well, her uncle is technically on her side, but even he doesn’t believe she can partial shift, which means he’s not convinced that the infection was an accident at all.
However, the trial for Faythe’s life is put on pause when Elias Keller, a bruin (werebear) who cares for the neutral land that the prides have gathered in for Faythe’s trial, storms in angry at all the cats causing trouble on his land. The pride cats and Elias quickly put two and two together, realizing that not only are the mysterious noisy werecats not from any of the visiting prides, but they’re probably also responsible for the two missing hikers the humans in the area are searching for. Things continue to grow more tangled when Elias brings in a tabby cat he believes to be Faythe, but in fact is a thirteen year old girl no one’s ever heard of before.
Faythe has to prove herself useful, out maneuver one of the judges who is plotting not just against Faythe but also against her father and save the girl, from her past and the future the old fashioned alphas want to manipulate her into.
Even though this is part of a running series it would be easy enough for new readers to pick up the story, and the world, so far. Despite it’s size Pride is fast paced with lots of action, both emotional and fight scenes. And unlike a lot of other urban fantasies that feature kick ass heroines, in this one the drive Faythe feels to be recognized and respected as a real person, not just a breeder, is integrated to the plot, as is the gender skewed world view that fuels Faythe’s fight. Pride is definitely recommended, especially to women who are tired of princesses who need to be saved or women who’s sole purpose is to be swept off their feet, impregnated and plopped into a Donna Reed role.
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VAMPS is book one in a series about the vampire teens of Bathory Academy, a prestigious night school for the richest and most powerful members of the vampire race. The first book introduces the characters and sets up the overall plot arc but doesn’t have much of a resolution.
Lilith Todd is the “mean popular girl” at Bathory. Unfortunately, she’s also the primary point of view character in most of this book. Snobbish beyond belief, paranoid and utterly unlikeable, she has her whole life planned out, fairy princess style. She even already has her Prince Charming, betrothed to her in a vampiric contract
VAMPS really picked up when the point of view switched to Cally Monture, a half-blood from a much lower tax bracket, and a much more sympathetic character…
The Lesser of Two Evils is a perfect example of why readers shouldn’t dismiss every book with a self-published label.
Davis Briggs, sheriff of the small Texas town of Devine has a hell of a mess on his hands when children start showing up dead and a drifter and a thirteen year old psychic seem to be the only ones who can help. Jobe, not the typical hero, comes to Devine via possibly divine intervention (haha, get it?), not just because he’s laying low from his last botched bombing which killed more than just the cop it was intended for. Meanwhile, Wendy, thirteen and already having faced more reality than most people do in their lives, is trying to keep her brother alive, and be the parent while her actual parents are out of town on a job. She’s the first to sense a supernatural doom descend on the town and has to convince Davis to trust her instincts before more lives are lost. And when things start to get real bad she and Jobe must team up to take down the killer.
The Lesser of Two Evils is a well paced serial killer story with strong, unique characters. It combines science and fantasy in explaining the paranormal aspects of the plot. The antiheroes rule the show, sharing their own twisted pasts, morals and going through an emotional shift to become something else. While much of the book isn’t graphic there are spectacular murders and an unrelenting, unstoppable killer than keeps the readers swept away for all 363 pages.
An example of “the cream that rises to the top” of the self publishing world, The Lesser of Two Evils is definitely on the Buy list.
