The Dresden Files: Fool Moon, Volume 1 by Jim Butcher (Author), Mark Powers, Chase Conley (Illustrator)

The Dresden Files: Fool Moon, Volume 1 by Jim Butcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the graphic novel version of the second book in the Dresden Files series. I loved the book and the graphic novel does a satisfying job of representing the prose version. Of course, the story is paired down, but the artwork makes up for it. It's interesting the way Dresden is represented in the graphic novel. It's not quite how I see him. He's more macho and superheroic-looking in this incarnation. One notable aspect of book is the action scenes. Right on par with the written narrative. The colors are vivid and active. In conclusion, these graphic novels don't take the place of the prose books, but they are a nice adjunct to them.

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Macrieve by Kresley Cole

MacRieve by Kresley Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MacRieve follows up the story arc of the Order and in a huge way. I loved how Cole ties things together. Who would have thunk the Lore community would be so connected.

MacRieve might be one of the most tortured IAD heroes. His experiences as a preteen damaged him severely and as such, he has no hope of finding his mate or for his matehood to be normal. And it also gave him a violent hatred for succubi, which is going to be a problem. When he hears that there is a young woman that everyone wants because she's Webb's daughter (the leader of the Order-a group of humans who are out to exterminate all the Loreans), he shows up to get revenge on his enemy, and isn't above using his daughter, and recognizes his mate. That's not the beginning of a happy ever after. No there is a lot of pain ahead.

At times, MacRieve was a real mean bastard. I had to remind myself how damaged his was from his youthful experiences with a succubus. It didn't condone the way he treats Chloe, but it does give me understanding into why he was behaving that way. I did like how beautifully he changes and convincingly loves Chloe. I just wish he had done so a little sooner.

I loved Chloe. This is one of those instances where the heroine makes the book. She was awesome. I don't know much about Soccer, but she made me look up some women soccer players. I liked that she was very focused on her soccer and was fearless on the field despite her small size. That determination served her in good stead in her experiences with MacRieve.

I did also love hanging out with the New Orleans compound Lykae, including MacRieve, his brother Munro and the two young Lykae they are fostering until they get control of their wolves. I gained a lot more insight into the world of the Lykae with this book, and it was enlightening and fun. The world has gotten bigger with each book, and I find it more fascinating the more I learn about the Lore.

I wasn't really that interested in MacRieve before I read this book, but i could hardly put it down. MacRieve did win me over, but I think I loved Chloe even more than I loved him. I'm glad that he found his mate and that they realized how much they loved each other. I'm verra curious to see what will happen with Munro and his mate.

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Fables, Volume 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham

Fables, Vol. 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This volume of Fables is definitely for readers who have been following Bigby Wolf and Snow White's romance.  I think that it was very satisfying overall. I do have to agree with one of my fellow GRs friends/reviewers that Willingham committed the cardinal sin of an estranged couple, and that did bother me.  I couldn't not give this five stars though because it was overall very well done. 

I have always been enamored with werewolf stories.  I tend to shy away from the gratuitously violent gorefests, but I am fascinated with the idea of werewolves and the lore behind them.  How distinctive each story can feel. I pretty much love the whole idea of Bigby Wolf being who he is, and his evolution as a character. I feel that in this volume, his story comes full circle, although Sons of Empire (the next volume in the series) certainly adds to the story of Bigby significantly.

I liked the plot element of Mowgli trekking around the world to find Bigby, and how he encounters more than one wolf pack. You see, Mogwli is in his own way a wolf.  He's a human raised by wolves, and he understands the psychology of the pack. It's another opportunity to delve in that subject, which holds endless fascination for me.  I think there is a part of me that is attracted to the allure of the wild kingdom, not in a small way.  I don't spend a lot of time out in the wilderness, obviously. So I get my fill of it by reading stories that tap into that arena.  I feel that Willingham definitely satisfied me in that sense.

When Mowgli finally catches up with Bigby, it's to find he has tried to start a new life (or more likely hiding from the pain of having to leave Snow and the cubs behind). I was annoyed at what he does to keep his mind off that loss.  This is where Willingham messes up, if I can be frank. Snow White is awesome!  I hate that aspect, but I do like the way it was handled when he and Snow reunite.

Speaking of, I loved their reunion and where Bigby gets to be acquainted with his brood.  It doesn't take long for them to grow close to their dad.  It has a lovely element of big happy family, and I won't lie I am definitely a sucker for that.  The wedding was fun and it was a great chance to bring many of the beloved Fables characters together.

Yeah, you can tell I loved the heck out of this volume of Fables. I am incapable of hiding my enthusiasm about it.  Other than Willingham 'going there', this was a top notch addition to the series, and it ranks as one of my all time favorites.

Recommended!!!



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Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland by Bill Willingham

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland by Bill Willingham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think I am learning my lesson not to put off reviews.  My brain isn't as sharp as I would like, so it works better to write these reviews soon after I read the books.  Fortunately, this volume of Fables stands out a bit because it focuses on Bigby Wolf and his solo adventure to Story City, Iowa, a small town with a connection to Fabletown via Bluebeard.  We have to go back in time a bit to recall Bigby's WWII adventures, which are highly related.   It's no hardship to spend time with Bigby,  because he's one wolf I rather like.  I have to admit that this story gave me the creeps though. It had a Stepford Wives meets the Young Nazis Association of Weirdness feel.  This town that Bigby visits is just wrong!  You find out just how wrong it is the more time you spend in the town. 

The other thing I would say is if you don't like nudity, don't read this book. A lot of full frontal nudity, because it's about werewolves.  It didn't bother me, but certainly there is a lot of violence in this one, and the idea of that town just gave me the creeps. 

If you've seen the tv show, Wolf Lake, you might appreciate the strangeness of this town, except it has more of an Aryan feel.  I think that the writer/artists did an excellent job of conveying that sense of wrongness of this small community.

Bigby is basically forced into the role of enforcer when things come to a head in the town.  They see him as a god in many ways. He's not willing accept their worship, but he does take on the role of an alpha of a sort, enforcing the rules of the pack and a true understanding of what it means to be a wolf, which the people of the town seem to lack.

I didn't like this as much as the other Fables that I've read. I can't really say what I didn't like that much about it, other than it just rubbed me the wrong way.  I still love Bigby and his backstory and how it relates to the current situation was very intriguing.

Good story, although I didn't like this as much as I wanted to like it.



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Play of Passion by Nalini Singh

Play of Passion by Nalini Singh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After a long break from this series, I'm glad I'm back. I missed this world!  I put this one off because I wasn't too enamored with Mercy, another dominant female changeling, and I wasn't looking forward to more of the same irritation.  Fortunately, Indigo isn't like Mercy in that sense.  However, the dominance issue seems even more troublesome with the wolves. I guess that make sense, for wolf pack dynamics are very crucial.  Cats don't have quite the same rigid social structure. 

I liked this book a lot. I didn't love it. I guess I just didn't feel as compelled by Indigo and Drew's love story as I've felt in the past.  I freely admit that I am a big fan of the Psy storyline, and when it's two Changeling leads, it's not as much fun. Not as much contrast, and inherent tension in the pairing. Not to say that Indigo and Drew's story didn't have tension, because it does.  Both emotional and sexual.

I didn't know much about Drew, and I was pleasantly surprised with the complexity of his character. His identity and the result that it has on his place in the pack reminded me of the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs. I'm not sure if you could directly call Drew an Omega, and probably Singh avoids doing so because of the inherent comparison. However, I think he probably is an Omega, in that he doesn't have to respond in the same way to a dominant pack member. Of course he recognizes the Alpha and respects dominants, but he has more independence.  I guess you can see I did like the insight into pack dynamics that this book delivers.  Being very interested in that when it comes to stories, I appreciated it.

One thing I wasn't as comfortable with was all the 'in your face' about the fact that both Andrew and Indigo had people they had been sexually involved with still in their lives.  I think I am way too possessive a person to be 'cool' with that.  In a way, it was good that they had to just get over it and focus on the now.  I like to think I would be a big enough person to do that if I was presented with a similar situation in real life. Not sure though.

As far as the ongoing Psy storyline, I feel that got shortchanged. There was some progression, but it seemed less expansive than I had hoped. Maybe I was wanting more because I was less invested in Indigo and Andrew's love story...It could also be because Kaleb doesn't show up in this book the way I wished.  Or some of the other Psy I am crushing on.  Admittedly, it was cool seeing more of Judd, because I love him.

So, yes, this was a very good book. But it wasn't as good to me as some of the Psy books. I did respect Indigo and I liked her. I could see the issues she faced as a tough female. It's hard for females who fail to fit certain expectations of gender, and when they meet men who they fall in love with.  That man has to get who they are and respect them for who they are.  I can honestly say that Drew is the right guy for her.  As far as Drew, I think Indigo grew to appreciate and understand what a complex guy Drew was, easygoing by effort.  A deep ocean who pretends to be a still pond. People tended to underestimate him and that could lead to some real hurt. I'm glad that she was man enough to embrace the whole of Drew.

Yeah, this was a a solid four star book, but not a five star read for me.  That's a shame.  Let me tell you, I am so excited to finally read Hawke's book. He has the heroine I was hoping for too!



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Hellboy: The Ice Wolves by Mark Chadbourn

Hellboy: The Ice Wolves by Mark Chadbourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book started out slow, but I ended up very sucked in. I think that the author was successful in writing a layered story that had some very 'literary' elements. I liked that although this was a Hellboy book, the story was more about Brad Lynch, a young man suffering from PTSD after being a journalist in Iraq and witnessing some truly horrible events, his broken relationship with his father William, and his evolving relationship with his best friend and co-worker, Lisa. Although this was very much horror/dark fantasy, it was also a drama about family dynamics. How a horrible event can tear a family apart, and leave the survivors walking woundeds who go on to live emotionally dysfunctional lives.

Hellboy is tasked with finding the Kiss of Winter to prevent a catastrophic takeover of the world by werewolves. He finds out that it's being kept in the famed Grant House in Boston, and ends up on Brad's doorstep, because Brad's father owns the house. He convinces Brad (with Lisa's help), to go to Boston and get his father to let them in the house so they can find the Kiss of Winter. Hunted by hungry werewolves, they barely make it into the house as an unseasonal and fierce blizzard hits Boston. Inside the house is some protection from the wolves, but it's full of spirits, some benign, and some very, very malevolent.

I do have to say that this book was very scary at times. The house was extremely menacing, with negative entities out for blood, although there were also some helpful presences in the house that help save Hellboy and his companions' bacons quite a few times, and also help them to obtain the Kiss of Winter. Mr. Chadbourn writes one heck of a haunted house story. To be honest, I enjoyed these elements more than the werewolf aspects, and that's saying a lot since I love werewolf fiction. The construction of the house is very creepy, adding to sinister feel of this book. Also, hearing the ill-fated histories of the family who lived in the house added to the atmosphere. I reached a point where this book was a bit too scary to read late at night, but I didn't want to put it down because I was sucked in. There were also some intriguing time travel/warp elements, as the Kiss of Winter and its sister artifact, the Heart of Winter, together help to manipulate and fold time.

Hellboy is his usual witty, tough self. I like his wisecracks, but I like how he sees the emotional aspects of the interactions between Brad, Lisa, and William. He has his hands full, fighting hungry werewolves, evil ghosts, and trying to encourage Brad to make up with his dad and to let Lisa know his true feelings. Hellboy is pretty darn awesome, I must say.

I liked the use of various arcane/occult devices in their struggle against the werewolves. The witch candle was pretty awesome. It protected the house, and it set the werewolves on fire as they tried to enter.

This ended up being a very enthralling read, although it was occasionally a bit slow. Once I got used to Mr. Chadbourn's writing style, he delivered a very good story, and he makes good use of Hellboy and the elements that make this character and his world distinctive, but in a very personal, character-driven fashion. Not an easy task when you're dealing with subject matter that by nature is more action and event-driven. I hope he writes some other haunted house books, because he knows how to make this horror fan cringe in fear.





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Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stolen was nothing like I expected. Well, I wasn't sure what to expect, actually. Ms. Armstrong expanded the world she created in Bitten, to encompass other paranormal beings, adding witches, sorcerers, demons, and vampires to the mix. I liked how it was very much in the mode of realistic and everyday. The origins of these beings are not clearly stated, but speculated on. She doesn't ascribe good or bad characteristics to them overall, other than the sorcerers tendency to be more on the bad side, mostly due to the bad blood between them and witches.

This ended up being a slowly-unfolding, but at the same time, intense read. There seemed to be a strong underlying theme to this story about the necessity of violence. Accordingly, there's quite a bit of violence, most of it warranted, as Elena and the other paranormal beings she becomes acquainted with find themselves fighting for their lives and freedom. There's also some violence that made me squirm. Some of the actions of Elena, Clay, and Jeremy fall very much in the moral gray area, if you were to consider them human beings, with the ascribed moral absolutes that go along with humanity. However, they are not humans--they are werewolves, and their actions tend to show that aspect of their natures. Even still, Elena, Clay, and Jeremy are different in their approaches to situations. Jeremy is the most self-controlled--his actions governed by reason and what is best for the Pack. Elena is more likely to help others who are not Pack. Clay thinks only of his mate, Elena, and the Pack. Nothing else matters to him. He'll take care of others to make Elena happy. But, otherwise, he wouldn't go out of his way to do something that didn't benefit the Pack. In essence, Clay is pure wolf, even though he walks in human skin. As a whole, they kill, and it's more out of expedience at times, than an absolute need to do so. But, Elena doesn't make excuses for her actions. She admits that there would be another way, but this way turns out to be the best for the circumstance. While a part of me was somewhat troubled by these killings, I couldn't escape the reality of the fact that those that Elena, Jeremy, and Clay killed were men and women who had showed a lack of respect and value for the lives of the paranormal beings they had stalked, kidnapped and held captive. And, faced with the villain in this story, it's clear what is worse: to kill out of necessity, or to kill for the fun of it. Tyrone Winslow is a geeky, billionaire computer genius who decided that he likes the idea of a real life death match in which he makes the paranormals run for their lives, with no sure chance of escape. Why? Because he's a megalomaniac, craving power, and even in the most petty ways. Because it's fun for him, and because he can. He came off as petty and completely objectionable, showing how loathesome he was in his power struggles with Elena, and how he interacted with his employees at the place where they were imprisoning the paranormals. For all my qualms about the killing of people in this book, I didn't feel too bad for him when Elena and Clay turned the tables on him. He got his just deserts.

Stolen introduces the witch characters Paige and Savannah, who will play major roles in this series. I must say my interest was perked, and I do look forward to reading their stories. However, the highlight of this story was seeing Clay and Elena, and their relationship. Clay would do just about anything for Elena. His love is powerful and steadfast. And in this story, you can see that Elena does love him just as much, whereas in Bitten, she was running from that feeling and trying to avoid acknowledging that she loved Clay. They just felt right together. Jeremy was fascinating, and there was tantalizing bits of him in this story that make me want to see more of him.

Stolen was a book that took some investment on my part to read. But it turned out to be worth the time spent. It wasn't quite as fascinating to me as Bitten, and I'm not sure why. But I did like seeing the development of Elena. She seemed more multi-faceted in this story. I saw more of her humor, and her emotional depth that I didn't quite see in Bitten. Although slow-moving at times, this was a good follow-up to Bitten.

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Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ms. Carriger, congratulations! This was a great ride. I can honestly say that I laughed myself silly reading this book. This is one of those books that will probably embarrass you if you read it in public. You have been warned! This is the first novel that I've read that managed to cleverly and gently satirize the conventions of historical romance, and it was done in a manner that was utterly irresistible. I have not read any Wodehouse, but I imagine I will like him very much, if he is indeed an influence on this author's writing.

Not only did I enjoy the humor, I thought the characters were beyond interesting. Alexia is one of those heroines that will stand out in the reader's mind. She's intelligent, gutsy, fierce, yet ladylike and admirable. Although she has moments where she's down on herself (she seemed unable to accept that Lord Maccon was interested in her, but it totally made sense to me), she manages to be remarkably comfortable in her own skin. I believe that this is a big part of her appeal to Lord Maccon. Alexia is an alpha woman that I really like. She doesn't come on too strong, and she knows her limits. Throwing her weight around is not a tactic that she resorts to. But if you try something, she will make sure you know it's not happening. I liked that she was a woman of her times, in that she was strong, intelligent, and passionate; yet, she possessed the morals and understandings of what was appropriate in her society. Alexia's ability felt very novel to me. I especially liked how she used it when she interacted with the supernatural people in her life, especially Lord Maccon. There's a really good part where Alexia has to get up close and person with a naked Lord Maccon to keep him from changing back into a wolf. And they sure do take advantage of that moment. Naked Lord Maccon, up close and personal, who could blame a girl?

Ah, let's talk about Lord Maccon. Three words: To Die For! I loved him. Not too surprising, since I happen to adore, big, sexy, Scottish werewolves. But it's the whole package with him. I like that he's rough around the edges. Smooth operators bore me. The unpolished, fierce heroes, they get me everytime. Ooh, he had me reading this book furiously to get to the next scenes with he and Alexia. I loved all his scenes, in human and in werewolf form.

Alexia and Lord Maccon had awesome chemistry. This is not really a romance novel, so the reader must keep this in mind. Soulless is more of a fantasy with a very strong romance. If you take that into consideration and enjoy the ride, the romantic moments will be a pleasant surprise on top of the humor and the fantastic elements. Having said that, I loved all the smootchy/getting personal scenes. This book has that element of Victorian romance that I just love. The whole "we are passionately carried away, but this is really improper and I hope we don't get caught" theme really works for me. I loved how they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other. Very appealing! Alexia and Lord Maccon are going on my favorite couples list. No doubt about it.

Now to the fantasy/steampunk elements. I thought Ms. Carriger did a great job. Initially, I had to get used to the writing style. Like I said earlier, I haven't read too many satirical-styled stories. I had to realize that I couldn't take things too seriously. Once I got into that mode, I was good. This book is an interesting hybrid in that it's definitely a humorous story, but there are some edgy, dark elements, as well. The automaton was pretty darn creepy. I immediately started thinking about golems when it was first introduced. I liked how she took the golem folklore and gave it a steampunk twist. I could completely understand why Alexia found it so repulsive. It was alive, but so opposite from what a living being might be. I liked the adventure aspects. This book made me think of the old school adventure storytellers like Jules Verne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, although this book doesn't stray far from the drawing rooms and polite environs of London and its suburbs. I could easily imagine Ms. Carriger writing a ripping, neo-pulp adventure yarn. If she does, sign me up! I hope she has a Roxton-esque hero if she does. Hint, Hint. I definitely think this would make a great movie (in the right hands).

Steampunk is a new, but beloved genre for me. When it comes to technical and mechanical devices, I have no imagination. So I have to give it to Ms. Carriger for writing these aspects very well. I had a very good visual picture of the steam-driven, clockwork technology in my head while I was reading. Yet, she didn't overdo it so that I was more focused on trying to picture these devices and not focused on the story.

Vampires and werewolves are the main supernatural beasties in this story. They are very politically and socially-organized, to the degree that they have advisors to the queen herself. I admit, I really had to focus on this aspect, needing to reread a few paragraphs to really gain an understanding of the social structure of the two supernatural groups. But it was time well spent. I liked reading about the social dynamics of the vampire society, divided up into hives, each with a Queen vampire (she's the only one who can make new vamps), and having human servants called drones. Lord Akeldama, Alexia's flamboyant friend who happens to be a very powerful vampire, was a hoot. His fashion sense was outrageous, and he kept me laughing. On the werewolf side, I was enamored with Professor Lyall, the competent, extremely intelligent beta to the Alpha werewolf, Lord Maccon, Earl of Woolsey. I hope to see a lot more of Prof. Lyall. The werewolf pack dynamics were especially interesting to me, werewolf lover that I am. I absolutely love the werewolf salute given to Alexia at the end of this book. I was practically clapping. I think you could see that the vamps and weres were very integrated into society, and a huge part of the governmental workings of the author's concept of Great Britain of the 19th Century. It really gives a different perspective on the British Empire.

Man, this was a great read. If you're coming from a romance or a contemporary urban fantasy background, this book will take you out of your comfort zones, but it's so worth it. Hang in there until you get used to the flow of the language (it's very 19th century), and relax and enjoy the witty humor (it's very funny). You will have a great time. Don't forget to bring your tricked-out parasol and glassicals, just in case.

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