Frances Pauli

This is the first time I read a novel where the animals are written like humans. The fantasy element is the encounter between a unicorn and a kelpie. The idea was intriguing, and I was not disappointed. It reads like an animal version of Beauty and the Beast. Well, almost. I love the personality of Junebug, perky, compassionate, and plucky. And Bastion, the kelpie, was as brooding and tortured as any romance novel hero.

I was expecting to cringe as I read it, but it was written well by the author that I forgot I was reading about four-legged star-crossed lovers. The mythology behind is also unique, at least it was for me. So, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I recommend it. For those who love this kind of stories, and for those who, like me, are willing to read anything.… (más)

The maincharacter Satina is a goodmother on the run from the magical gangs that run things in the world where the book is set.

While on the run she accidentally encounters another magical creature,Marten the Imp Skinner and follows him back to a village where she is surprised to learn hes accepted (or at least tolerated by the townspeople because he uses his abilites to help them (for the most of the time)

Satina contemplates staying around for a bit,maybe this is a haven for her kind?

Then suddenly one of the magic gangs led by Vane appears to take over the village,and she is only saved in the nick of time by Marten who sends her off to a friend of his who lives in a cottage just outside the village.She is sheltered by the old lady named Hadja who lives there who despite being full human has magical abilites too.

Now Satina and her new friends have to figure out a way to escape detection from the ambitious Vane and his gang and make them leave.

So now to my thoughs about this book.There were many things that were unclear about the world and its inhabitants.Things that I would liked to have gotten a more information about. Like for example what the history between the Starlight and Shades gangs were or even what the name of the land where the book takes place is called. This bothered me.

The writing seemed at times to be a bit clunky and not flowing so smoothly that I had to go back and re-read sentences to see what I had missed.And another thing I found irked me were the names. You have characters named Satina,Marten and Hadja and then you have a gargoyle named Henry of all things.

Oh and also-the villain Vane was also something of a cardbox cut out villain.

Now you might think I hated this book but I dont.I just expected to be more,well EPIC.

I actually liked the characters such as they were and it did have some witty dialogue and though I am not sure I would recommend this book but I do feel that the author has potential and maybe just need to refine her writing skills a bit more and flesh out her worldbuilding and supporting characters. It was just a shame that it faltered in those aspects because it could have been great.

… (más)

9 short stories that range in tone from creepy to funny. Each has a paranormal theme.

My favorite story was Forbidden which has Lorenzo, a vampire, bemoaning the fact that no one is afraid of him like in the old days. He also craves garlic and has a way to get it but giving in to his craving contradicts his moaning.

Another favorite was Bad Dog who is Hatach who is a hellhound. He is rescued by a human. He is funny also.

El Emperador is also fun as you get the woman's thoughts and the horse's. The horse seems smarter than the woman. They are an interesting mix.

Silent Partner was good with Charles and the tattoo artist. Charles and his significant other, Janine, reminded me of Howard and Eunice in What's Up Doc? I am not sure if Charles was dreaming or if he had the tattoo. It's a little iffy.

The rest of the stories were okay but not as good as the ones I mentioned above. These stories are worth the few minutes it takes to read them.… (más)

This was an entertaining read, with a heroine you could really root for and a setting that is certainly not the same ol', same ol'. I would have liked a little more explanation about the Shroud, however, and exactly how it works. Why aren't there any girls born on this planet? And how does the Heart actually "know" anything? I'm intrigued by all the questions that weren't answered, so I hope there will be more clues as the series goes on. A bit lighter on the hard science side than I usually prefer, but that may be due to the longer story arc. A bit more romance than usual too - not a big draw for me, but it was done well enough to be fun, and the romantic rivalry was critical to the story line. I would love to see more of Shroud itself and its culture, which is off to a promising start but is not described in any great depth in this first volume.… (más)