Locus Award Winners

The winners of the Locus Awards have been announced. I have not read any of these, however the debut novel award, His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik interested me very much. Is anyone really surprised? I love the timeframe in which it takes place, because I am a huge Jane Austen fan. And I'm one of those types of people who researches history just for the fun of it. I also love the idea of a historical fantasy that "reimagines" historic events.

What Did You Think?

I'd like to open up this blog for (gulp!) critique. Of me. I tried to strike a balance of writing about the book without giving too much away. How did I do with my postings about MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND? Was I boring? Did I post too often? Not often enough? Did I take to !@#$ing long to read the book? Were my posts comprehensible? How can I improve?

Did I do anything right? Did you enjoy my posts? Did you want to go out and read the book?

I love debut books, and I'm not often disappointed by a debut novel that I think I will enjoy. MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND was no exception.

MLTF - I'm Done!

I have finished reading MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND. I won't give the ending away, of course, but it was in keeping with the rest of the book -- smart, satisfying and tense. There was a nice little epilogue, cleverly disguised as a final chapter, where Lisa propelled Raine on her next adventure and kept me in the dark about which guy Raine's going to go for.

I'm going to cogitate about it for a while before I post my final impressions. Expect another post on MLTF tonight.

MLTF - A Forgotten Detail

Oops; I forgot! The way that Raine met up with Mychael again was most fascinating and unexpected. And here I thought she was just going to go to sleep! It was a great way of imparting some necessary background information. Rather than just another conversation about what is going on, spice it up with some sexual tension and unexpected states of undress. Then it becomes anything but boring. Not that it would have been boring, but this made it even better.

MLTF - Plots Within Plots

I gave myself a breather at chapter 17.

As Lisa promised, I definitely got to see more of the Guardian, Mychael. Raine seems to like him. They're even on a first-name basis, now. However, the goblin Tam moved in for a kiss -- maybe he sensed competition. Raine wasn't exactly fighting him off, either. And what a naughty kiss it was, "topped off with just a nibble of fang . . ."

Raine is still capable of a blush (as is the Guardian), which I found an unexpected treat.

Lisa seems to be using something that I see a lot in mystery, but not so much in fantasy -- two fascinating leading men, with the leading lady attracted to both. How to choose; how to choose?

Raine and her two men have just extracted some information from a particularly nasty goblin, and Raine has learned a bit more about her family history. Quite a bit more. I sense action ahead.

I will post more later today.

MLTF - Three Guys

I just started chapter thirteen. The intervening chapters were a whirlwind of action, with bad guys at every turn, not to mention monsters. For a while there I thought Raine was going to be a hostage, but she got herself out of that situation. Unfortunately, she ended up in a nasty place full of evil kings, mad sorcerers, scary fairies, horrific shadow-things and goblins everywhere.

The prince did something to creep Raine out, but I'm not sure if he's totally off the "hot guy" list.

In fact, here's a rundown of the hot guys encountered so far:

The Guardian. The only heroic one in the bunch. And I have to admit that I have a soft spot for heroes.
The Gambler. I have not seen much of him, but he has his charms as well.
The Prince. By far the most complicated. Appears to be a sympathetic villain. I could be deceived.

KARMA GIRL

I added KARMA GIRL to my review list. I already read the first chapter on Jennifer Estep's website, and it was great fun, but sad at the same time. I'll start teasing on it (since I don't really actually review, strictly speaking) as soon as I finish THIEF WITH NO SHADOW.

I am now looking for a debut book by a male author. Preferably with a male protagonist. If you stumble across one, please let me know.

Another Debut! WICKED LOVELY

I've found another debut to put in my queue. It's WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr. Her LiveJournal blog is here. I found it on Rachael Vater's blog.

It's a young adult novel, which I always enjoy, and the hook really intrigues me.

MLTF - The Big Conflict

Long ago, I read that a good story plunges the hero against "almost insuperable odds". Shearin has mastered this advice. Her story may be light, but what Raine faces is not. It was a good dash of sobriety, yet still she maintains her lighthearted tone.

It reminded me of the First Crusade. During the First Crusade, the crusaders found this spear that grew to be a legend. It was said to be the spear that had pierced the side of Christ. The legend grew and the crusaders went absolutely bananas over it. Why? Study your history, because I don't want to give too much of the plot away. (I'll give you a hint. The spear was found in Antioch.)

Raine doesn't just have one enemy. Her enemies seem to be everyone who wants to find a similar artifact. But Shearin doesn't stop there. She raised the stakes by throwing in a good way of compelling Raine to help one of the artifact-seekers. And, she added a new mysterious man!

MLTF - Trouble Finder

The title of this book so fits. Trouble Finder would be an apt nickname for Raine. She's just taken a decadent bath and she went out looking for trouble . . . and naturally, she found even more trouble than she expected.

I've just started Chapter Ten. Since Chapter Nine ended up as a cliffhanger, I didn't go to bed as I planned. And truth to tell, I'll probably take the book with me when I do.