Teaser Tuesday: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The last rule stopped Franny cold. “How is this possible?” she asked. “We’re cursed.” 

“Anything whole can be broken,” Isabelle told her. “And anything broken can be put back together again. That is the meaning of Abracadabra. I create what I speak.” (p. 58)

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman was published October 10th, 2017 by Simon & Schuster.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

SOME ADVENTURES BEGIN EASILY. It is not hard, after all, to be sucked up by a tornado or pushed through a particularly porous mirror; there is no skill involved in being swept away by a great wave or pulled down a rabbit hole. Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world. (24% through on my Kindle)

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire is the second book in the Wayward Children series. It was published June 13th, 2017 by Tor.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Andy averted her eyes just a second to confirm that Copperseed was now fully smiling, the red glow of burning collateral damage expectedly suiting his sharp, rugged features.

They remained on the knoll for a while, under the magical spell of things going kablooey in the night.

(P. 232 on my Kindle)

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was published July 11th, 2017 by Doubleday Books.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 "No, I mean it, because... You know, it's not like I want to take command or anything; I think we should be a team, make all the decisions together, you know. Reach consent."

 " You mean consensus. "

Page 84 on my Kindle

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was published July 11th, 2017 by Doubleday Books.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Royal Ghouls by Alex A. King

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Betty Honeychurch is ageless. Skin infant-smooth. Eyes that say she's been seeing everything there is to see since before the dinosaurs glimpsed the meteor headed right for them and said, "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? We don't know. Oh Shit!" (p. 37)

Royal Ghouls by Alex A. King was published December 5th, 2017 by Citizen A Press. This is the second book in the Greek Ghouls Mystery series.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Summer of the Red Hotel by Alex A. King

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Book a plane ticket now, while we're talking." Marissa waits a moment. "I don't hear typing."

"I have to fix my sock bun. It collapsed."

So much exasperation in one little sigh. Kerry knows she's pushing her loved ones to the edge but she feels powerless to stop.

"I'll do it later, I promise," she says, fully intending to forget. "Okay?"

"You better, or else I'll come up there and drag you here myself. And you know how much I hate flying. If the flying spaghetti monster had meant for us to fly, he'd have given us wings." (6% in on my Kindle)

Summer of the Red Hotel by Alex A. King is the sixth book in the Women of Greece series. It was published March 31st, 2017. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Ararat by Christopher Golden

After an avalanche on Ararat reveals a cave with what's possibly Noah's ark inside, a newly engaged couple seeks to climb the mountain and do an archaeological dig on the premises. They succeed in being in charge of the project which involves many more people including academics, translators, archaeologists, an observer from the UN, and Ben Walker who isn't exactly what he seems or claims to be - a member of the National Science Foundation sent to investigate what's happening in the cave.

As the story progresses, the group finds a coffin within the remains of the ship. Inside is a grotesque skeleton of something with horns. Immediately people begin leaping to the conclusion that it is some kind of demon. Tensions arise among the group as a blizzard blows in and traps them in the cave. The longer they are there, the more certain everyone becomes that they are not alone. Something lurks in the cave and threatens their very survival and sanity.

Ararat makes a good horror story. It's part haunted house and part monster story. I give it 5 out of 5 stars. It is well-written. The tempo increases as the story progresses. You get to know the people who are going to be in danger before things go haywire. And the end has a twist to it that I wasn't expecting at all. This is book one in the Ben Walker series and as such can be read as a stand-alone. It also won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 2017. If you enjoy a good horror novel, this is definitely worth a read. Ararat by Christopher Golden was published April 18th, 2017 by St. Martin's Press.

Teaser Tuesday: Ararat by Christopher Golden

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

In quiet moments, when the on-camera banter lulled with the lateness of the hour, he glanced up at the mountain and felt a whisper of dread slide up his spine. Each time it dissipated before reaching his brain, the way dreams turned to mist and vanished in the first moments of wakefulness.

(6% Through on my Kindle)

Ararat by Christopher Golden is the first book in the Ben Walker series. It was published April 18th, 2017 by St. Martin's Press. Ararat won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 2017.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The summer had started them thinking. If they were not like everyone else, who, then, were they? Lately they'd been itching to know what they were capable of. They had never tried to combine whatever talents they might have. 

(p. 75)

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman was published October 10th, 2017 from Simon & Schuster.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

The book opens on Anne Bonny about to give birth. It's definitely an effective opening. Grabs your attention and keeps it from there. Chapters alternate between Anne and her many greats grandaughter Maude Stapleton. Anne's story takes place in 1721. Maude's takes place in 1870-1871.

Maude has left her home in Golgotha to pursue her father who has taken her daughter with him back east to Charleston. She is one of an elite group called the Daughters of Lilith. And she has been training her daughter Constance to follow in her footsteps.

A woman who is also a part of the group of the Daughters of Lilith is orchestrating a kidnapping of Constance because she believes that Constance must be sacrificed in order for the group to continue. Meanwhile, an opposing group called the Sons of Typhon also wants to kidnap Constance for their own purposes. So, when Maude arrives in Charleston she is destined to have her hands full. And that's without the subplot of trying to regain control of the estate she inherited from her Gran Bonny and recover legal custody of her daughter.

Searching for Constance will lead Maude afar. Anne's chapters are complementary and are about her own journey in Africa seeking enough treasure to retire from the pirate's life.

Maude and Anne are two of my favorite characters from the Golgotha series. I love how fiercely independent and capable they are. There are other well-drawn characters in the book including for example Alter Cline a reporter following Maude, and Maude's lady lawyer Arabella Mansfield.

The structure of the book works well to advance the plot. It's well-paced. I found myself flying through it wanting to know what would happen next.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's very well written. You could read this without having read the first two books in the series, but you'd be missing some of the flavor. This book picks up soon after book two and refers to events in it. The author does do a good job of catching a reader up on what's been going on though. I find myself looking forward to further adventures in the world of Golgotha and wonder what will be next for these characters.

Teaser Tuesday: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"I am not your love," she said in a voice not entirely her own. "I am not your pet." She filled herself with clean air and felt her whole body burn with a power she did not fully understand. "I am a Daughter of Lilith; I am the Mother's sword. If you're so eager, come play, come play with death." (p. 97)

Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher was published June 27, 2017 by Tor Books. The third book in the Golgotha series, it focuses on Maude and her daughter Constance and Anne Bonny. In the above excerpt, It is Constance who is doing the talking.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter

Nell Ingram is no longer a "churchwoman." She has grown into being a probie in Unit 18 of the PsyLed division of Homeland Security. PsyLed specializes in policing the paranormals - witches, vampires, werewolves, and more.

Nell is also growing into her powers as whatever she is paranormally speaking. She is able to draw on the earth for various reasons and to read its current state in a given area.

The PsyLed unit is called to the site of an assassination attempt on a senator because Ming of Glass, a vampire, is on site. Also, the attempt has a weirdness to it. There seems to be a pyro aspect as well as wondering how the assassin was able to approach the house unseen when there was security personnel on site.There are further attacks on the senator and his family. PsyLed continues to be involved in the investigations.

There is a romance subplot. Nell and Occam seem to be getting closer. And her mama sets her up with someone as well.

The characters in the novel are well developed and multifaceted for the most part. They feel like real people who just happen to have these different abilities. Especially well developed are the PsyLed team and Mud, Nell's little sister.

The plot is well written. The pace is good. There is more than one seemingly climactic scene. The further on I read, the more hooked I was. I needed to know what happened next.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. If you like urban fantasy that is a little on the dark side, the Soulwood series is a good one for you. I also like that Faith Hunter stretches to have more than the typical paranormal characters. She has a lovely imagination. I've read Flame in the Dark twice now and enjoyed it both times.

Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter was released December 5, 2017 by Ace Books. For a taste of the series, you can read a short story, "Black Friday Shopping with Nell and Occam," which takes place right before this book here.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Teaser Tuesday: Second Teaser from Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Occam started laughing, a purring chuff of sound that brought a smile to my face and made me tease further. "You cat-boys are hard to get along with in your time of the month."

"Time of the-- Nell, sugar, that is an appalling insult." Occam was still laughing as he got in the truck beside me and we drove off together. (76% through on my Kindle)

Occam is a wereleopard. Nell is the main character in the novel. The story is told from her perspective.

This is my second teaser from Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter. It was released December 5, 2017 from Ace. I am enjoying the book.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

I had fed Soulwood twice, the first time when a man had tackled me in the woods and tried to have his way with me, to get both my body and the land that came with it. I hadn't known the first man's name, had never even seen his face. But he died fast and his essence had fed my land, making my trees grow strong and swiftly, so much that the forest now looked like old-growth trees. (11% through on my Kindle)

Flame in the Dark by Faith Hunter was released December 5, 2017 from Ace. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Murder on the Sugarland Express by Angie Fox

It's time to get away from Frankie and the other ghosts and have a nice peaceful vacation. Ellis, Verity Long's boyfriend, has surprised her with tickets on the maiden voyage of the Sugarland Express, a historic train.

The ghosts have another idea. Frankie is determined to tag along to provide a romantic getaway for his girlfriend. Little do they know that the Sugarland Express was the scene of a murder oh so many years ago and that the detective that investigated it is still investigating.

As if that wasn't enough mystery, someone in the present day is also murdered on the train while it is stuck in the mountains and the wifi and communications equipment have been destroyed. It becomes a very busy trip for Verity as Ellis and Verity spring into action trying to solve the present day murder before anyone else gets killed. And Frankie and Verity get sucked into trying to solve the mystery from the past before the ghost train version of the train is derailed and plunges into the river once again.

This is a hat tip to Murder on the Orient Express. Someone on the train must have committed the murder in the present day as well as some ghost committed the murder in the past.

This book can be read as a standalone even though it is the sixth book in the Southern Ghost Hunter series. Enough information is given for you to follow along. It's better, though, if you've had some exposure to the characters prior to this though. It's just more enjoyable knowing their history.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written and paced well. There are two mysteries for the price of one and the author even manages to connect them in a way. The characters are interesting. There is a good sense of humor that shines through even though the mysteries are tough to solve. If you enjoy humorous cozies with some paranormal involvement, then this would be a good reading choice for you.

Murder on the Sugarland Express by Angie Fox was published November 25, 2017 by Moose Island Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Review: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

The Emerald Circus is a collection of short stories by Jane Yolen. I would say the majority if not all of them are aimed at adults. All are previously published with the exception of The Bird - a short story about Edgar Allan Poe. The tales themselves are mostly retellings or riffs on famous stories or people. Three of the stories are based on Alice in Wonderland. Some examples of inspiration for other stories are Robin Hood, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, Emily Dickinson, and Hans Christian Andersen.

All of the stories are well written. The book includes an introduction by Holly Black. And at the end, there are notes about the stories and poems related to each of the stories. I found even these end notes enjoyable to read. They tell a little about each story and its origins. The poems are an added bonus.

I enjoyed all of the stories, but I have a few favorites: Andersen's Witch, Blown Away, Our Lady of the Greenwood, Evian Steel, and Sister Emily's Lightship. Each I enjoyed for different reasons. All of them had excellent prose. And for example, I felt the characterization of Emily Dickinson in Sister Emily's Lightship to be right on target even though it is a fantastical tale.

I gave this collection 5 out of 5 stars for the quality of the writing. While each was a riff based on another tale or person, I can say that I haven't read anything quite like them. And I love retellings and have read quite a lot of them.

This book is perfect for people who enjoy Jane Yolen's writing and people who enjoy retellings.

The Emerald Circus was published November 14, 2017 from Tachyon.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Review: Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Eli meets a mysterious traveler a few times in his life as he's growing up. It's years for him, but days for her and not necessarily in a linear fashion. Harry, the traveler, discourages his interest, but not quite successfully enough. He finds out she is in danger from a faceless man and seeks her out to warn her. I was surprised at the lengths he was willing to go to for a woman he had met just a few times, but without his willingness to do so, the book would have stalled. Harry and Eli become reluctant partners seeking out The American Dream - a tangible treasure. They and the other searchers, for they are not alone, are pursued by the faceless men.

The way they travel is frequently a form of time travel that Harry refers to as traveling through history. They are limited in their travels within the history of the United States as they chase after The Dream.

It's a good story and well-written. There are a few flaws such as the plot being a little slow to take off. Then there is Eli's willingness to go to great lengths to warn Harry even though he's only met her a few times over the course of his life. And there are places where the plot sort of seems to meander but turns out to be setting up events to link with other events later on in the book. Still, I found myself wanting to know what happened next. It kept my attention even through the slow parts.

Overall, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy time traveling science fiction.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines was released September 26, 2017 by Crown.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Teaser Tuesday: Second Teaser from Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"Things are or they are not, Vasya," he interrupted. "If you want something, it means you do not have it, it means that you do not believe it is there, which means it will never be there. The fire is or it is not. That which you call magic is simply not allowing the world to be other than as you will it." (25% through on my Kindle)

It is such a good book I am actually taking the luxury of reading it a second time, thus, the second teaser. I haven't written my review yet, but I did give it a 5-star rating. It is a good follow up to The Bear and the Nightingale.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Dmitri returned coldly, "Are you afraid Kasyan Lutovich?"

Another man would have bristled; Kasyan looked thoughtful. By then the men were all pallid with cold, with swipes of color across nose and cheeks. The distinction between lord and monk and guardsmen had quite vanished. They all resembled irascible bears, huddled as they were in layers of felt and fur. Kasyan was the exception: composed and pale as he had been in the start, his eyes still quick and bright. (10% through on my Kindle)

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!