A Feast for the Imagination

Merrie Destefano has done it again. She has released a book that isn’t like any others currently on the market. Many people have been confused by Feast because it wasn’t what they were expecting. This isn’t a traditional Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. It is a dark Fairy Tale, a Fantasy. A story of dreams and nightmares, where the spoken word has a power of its own. Her descriptive prose builds a magical atmosphere. I had no problem entering the dream-like world Merrie created.

Blurb: Madeline MacFadden ("Mad Mac" to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she's always believed there was something living in these wooded hills.

But Maddie doesn't remember the dark parts -- and knows nothing of the mountain legend that holds the area's terrified residents captive. She has no recollection of Ash, the strange and magnificent creature who once saved her life as a child, even though it is the destiny of his kind to prey upon humanity. And soon it will be the Harvest. . . the time to feast.

Once again Maddie's dreams -- and her soul -- are in grave danger. But magic runs deep during Harvest. Even a spinner of enchanted tales has wondrous powers of her own

Darklings are magical creatures that live around humans and feed off of their dreams at night. They call this Harvesting and there are rules they must follow. Darklings have territories and protect the humans in them from rogues who kill the humans they feed from. In return for this protection, the town will give the Darkling permission to feed from them. They are terrifying to look at in their true form and can shape shift to appear as an animal or human.

Ash, is a Darkling tied to the mountain town of Ticonderoga Falls. His story broke my heart. Once a powerful Darkling, he is now lonely and sad from the loss of his mate 100 years ago. He sees him self as cursed and feels he deserves to live in the shadows.

When author Maddie MacFadden and her son come to vacation in his town, at the time of the ritual Harvest, he is drawn to her dreams like an insect to a flame. He isn’t the only one though, his Darkling cousins have come to take Ash’s territory from him.

He must protect Maddie, the town, and his half-human/half-Darkling daughter from the Rogue Darklings.

Let yourself be suspended in this dream like world Merrie has created. She will take you to the place of nightmares, but don’t worry; you will not be left there. Like in all good fairy tales, love is the strongest magic and the happily ever after is worth fighting the darkness for.

4 Dreaming Sheep

SS (edited by BAK)

Werewolf Descent (Book #2 Last Witch Series)

Werewolf Descent by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

Last year I won Liz’s first book, Vampyre Kisses, along with a cool t-shirt. This was her first novel as well as her first attempt at self-publishing. Her first book was a little rough around the edges and her writing skills needed more developing, but her characters and story line hooked me quickly. She does a great job of creating a believable chemistry between her characters. Trent and Faith’s love story made me warm and tingly all over.

Blurb:

Last witch in the world, Faith Scott, and her Irish vampire boyfriend Trent have just come back from fighting for their lives to recover the Vampiric Blood gem and Werewolf Moon gem. Thinking they could finally relax and work on the romance growing between them, they now meet a mysterious psychic vampire named Vincent who has his heart set on being with Faith.

Soon bizarre killings of Zou Tai’s werewolf pack begin, with rumors of an alchemist possessing the famed philosophers stone being the assailant; which, causes Faith to turn to Vincent for help in figuring out why the werewolves are being murdered.
It isn’t long before all those around them test Trent and Faith’s love, along with their abilities, once again. It is all Trent can do to keep Faith safe by his side while both go up against a deadly alchemist, deceptive gods, and having to rescue the werewolf prince; yet, after a deal with the God of Werewolves will Trent be able to save himself too?

While Liz’s writing technique is different from how most novels are written, each chapter is told from a different character's POV. It's sometimes hard to get used to the shifts in perspective, but I don’t mind it. I like the complexity of lots of characters and multiple story lines going on at once. Liz has also come up with a unique way of mixing Greek mythology into the vampire/shifter/witch mythos.

Werewolf Descent is the second book in her Last Witch Series, I absolutely love the cover by the way. Liz has learned a lot about self-publishing since her last book. Matter of fact, she does informative posts every Thursdays on her blog for authors wanting to know more about the how-to of self-publishing.

Our protagonists Faith, Trent and their friends are facing a new threat; as an Alchemist with a grudge starts killing werewolves. But there is also a threat from within their circle, from someone who is supposed to help protect them. I don’t want to give away to much information because there are some really surprising plot twists. She also introduces some new characters in Werewolf Descent that I look forward to reading more about in future novels. My favorite is Vincent, a psychic vampire, who is drawn to Faith. Poor Faith, she has an awesome blood vampire boyfriend, a hot werewolf prince and a smexy psychic vampire all trying to get in her pants .

I really enjoy these characters, the overall tone is dark and she made me cry at the end. I can see where she might be going with the third book and I look forward to reading it. I have to admit I am a little biased when it comes to Liz and her books . After her first book we started emailing and I have watched Werewolf Descent go from concept to finished product.

I will give this book two ratings.

3 Sheep for the technical parts of the writing

4 Sheep for the characters and story, she made me cry!

SS (edited by BAK)

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: History has never been so awesome

Okay, now as most of your probably remember I am the proud owner of a Bachelor of the Arts in History. I like history. A lot. Like, okay, you don't understand, in first grade I decided I wanted to major in history in college. That is how fething much I love history. Despite my love of history, a book like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is normally not my cup of tea. I just have too many issues with historical fiction, especially with little inaccuracies, so I generally avoid reading historical fiction at all. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is in no way the typical historical fiction novel and I absolutely loved it.

From the very start, this book starts at ridiculously awesome and just gets better from there. To be honest, if there's a slow part to this book it was the beginning with Lincoln's childhood and the non-vampire hunting parts. Fortunately the book begins to pick up steam and does not lose momentum until the book is over. I loved reading about the secret history of vampires in America and Lincoln's fight in eliminating the vampire menace from America. (Take that, Katie!) I thought the story was masterfully written by Mr. Grahame-Smith and incorporated a lot of elements I really appreciated.

Now you might be thinking, "Mr. B.A. Klapper, what elements did you appreciate specifically?" Well you see dear readers, I knew the two of you would be asking that question and I prepared to answer it. Ha-ha! Now, as you probably know, Lincoln is a huge mythological figure in American history. There are countless stories told about Lincoln to secure his status as a deity in the American Pantheon. Legends about good old Honest Abe, how he'd split rails all day long, learned to read using a piece of coal and a shovel, walking miles and miles in a snowstorm to return a borrowed book. Most to all of them have no basis in historical fact, of course, but they let the little children deify Lincoln in their mind, the man who saved the Union and freed the slaves. I found Grahame-Smith's book to be very much in the same spirit as those tall tales about Abraham Lincoln I had read when I was younger and appreciated it greatly. Also there are certain historical tidbits I enjoyed, like Lincoln's career as a flatboat crewman, which I appreciated as part of the unique history of the Midwest when it was still the American frontier.

Ultimately, I found Grahame-Smith's book to be well-researched, well-written, and to an extent even believable. And I think it's that attention to detail which really made this book great for me. The inclusion of historical images "proving" the existence of vampires in Lincoln's life was a definite bonus. Definitely a book well-worth reading, just don't expect the vampires to be the sex fiends Katie seems to like so much. These vampires are nasty, and Lincoln's come to take out the trash. Totally and utterly worth Five Sheep.

BAK

Adventurer's Rule #13: Vampires are bloody difficult to kill so make sure you do it right the first time.

Y.A. Graphic Novel: The Last Dragon

Master storyteller Jane Yolen ("Owl Moon" and "Sword of the Rightful King") and celebrated fantasy artist Rebecca Guay ("Swamp Thing" and "Magic: The Gathering") weave a textured and lyrical tale of adventure, homelands, and heroism the hard way. Two hundred years ago, humans drove the dragons from the islands of May. Now, the last of the dragons rises to wreak havoc anew - with only a healer's daughter and a kite-flying would-be hero standing in its way

Review:

This isn’t your typical YA Graphic Novel. It is more like an old-fashioned Grimm Fairy Tale, with the charm of traditional folklore. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is beautiful in its simplicity. A dragon is terrorizing an island village, so the villagers go in search of a Hero on the mainland. The villagers lure the would-be hero with the promise of money. However, the hero is not without his allies. Tansy is a young maiden and talented healer who is smart and determined, and her courage brings the best out of our Hero. Tansy and our hero defeat the dragon, fall in love and live happily ever after. The End. The classic fairy tale formula is followed to the letter.

The writing and story is simple, but light and funny at times. I would recommend this for the middle school crowd. Two people die, but it happens off-screen so it's not as traumatic. What is lacks in writing it more than makes up for in illustrations and the hero has a charming, cheesy Fabio thing going .

3 ½ Fire breathing Sheep

SS (edited by BAK)

Changeling Moon, stop sniffing my butt!

Changeling Moon, by PNR author Dani Harper, is the first book in her new Changeling Series. It's wolf sexy mixed with mystery, drama and steamy love scenes all set to the pace of a howling moon. This vamp gal loved Changeling Moon from beginning to end. :)

Plot:

He roams the moonlit wilderness, his every sense and instinct on high alert. Changeling wolf Connor Macleod and his Pack have never feared anything--until the night human ZoeyTyler barely escapes a rogue werewolf's vicious attack.
As the full moon approaches, Zoey has no idea of the changes that are coming, and only Connor can show her what she is, and help her master the wildness inside. With her initiation into the Pack just days away and a terrifying predator on the loose, the tentative bonds of trust and tenderness are their only weapons against a force red in tooth, claw... and ultimate evil.

Zoey has been on the run for a long time, always fearful the secrets she holds inside will come out for the world to see. Coming from a famous family really does not help her keep those secrets. Zoey has some trust issues but one spunky personality. Rock on Zoey! As editor of a small Canadian town newspaper she finds a little peace, but things come crashing down as she gets viciously attacked by a deranged wolf. Enter Connor, the town vet with a heart of platinum and the smoking hot looks to melt ice with just a glance. Zoey and Connor have an instant attraction that grows throughout the story, adding to the building plot line. The book had a few cheesy lines here and there, but nothing that couldn't be shrugged off. And sometimes people do have a cheesy side to them that just needs to get out. Also with Changeling wolves things can get a little unbelievable, but Dani sells this story very well with some original ideas added to the mix. I truly felt as if it "could" happen, and I loved that.

Things start to heat up as the death toll rises and spreads panic through the small town, as a result the pack is forced to hunt down one of their own. But the illusive wolf is giving them all a run for their money. Power corrupts absolutely and one man will stop at nothing to get what he wants. If you like mystery and PNR you will enjoy this story. Side characters like Connor's brothers had an easy flow to their characters as well, it was an effortless inclusion and completely believable. One thing that was a little off is the cover with the gal wearing the necklace. I was hoping that may get covered in the story but it never happened. So I'm really looking forward to getting an explanation later in the series....and from what my undead vamp friend told me the necklace will be revealed by book 6! :)

Book two Changeling Dream is coming out June 28th and I am eagerly awaiting that day!

PS no butt sniffing actually took place during the story. :P

Getting 4 Falcon Sheep

KD