Jessica Strider

Pros: brilliant characterization, thought provoking premise, heart-wrenching circumstances

Cons: ending didn't quite work for me

Amarra is an echo, woven by the Loom as a replacement in the event that her original dies. She lives according to a series of rules, which require her to learn her original's life, wearing the same clothes, reading the same books and having similar experiences. In some countries, including India where her original lives, her existence is illegal. When her original does die, Amarra has to subvert her natural rebellion and give up her chosen name of Eva, and try to be a good echo for once, lest her familiars - Amarra's parents - decide to end her existence.

This book's biggest strength is with character development. Amarra/Eva feels so real. I loved that you get to see numerous points of view on how people feel regarding her status as an echo. You see her original's anger at having to share her life with this copy, the echo's frustration of having nothing of her own, the familiars' hopes and despairs over whether the real Amarra's soul has or hasn't transferred to her ‘spare' body, and more. Eva feels horrible lying to people who love Amarra and who deserve to know their friend has died, even as she knows that if they learn the truth, her life will be forfeit.

The story brings up numerous questions, from whether the echoes are human with souls, to what extent a creator has the right to control their creations (the author compares weaving echoes with Frankenstein making his creature), etc. There's difficult morality here, with characters all reacting to the situation in realistic - if not always honourable - ways.

When things start to go bad they go really, really bad. This is NOT a good public transit read. It would however, make for a fantastic book club book. There's a lot of discussion potential here.

On the negative side, it surprised me that her guardians, while making sure she wore the same clothes and ate similar foods, etc. as her original wouldn't make sure Eva's language choice is also similar. She grows up in England and once she gets to India she has to consciously remember to refer to things the Indian way, so calling television ‘TV' rather then ‘telly'. Her linguistic choices causes problems and really should have been a consideration in her upbringing.

I also had some issues with the ending. I didn't quite believe things would go the way they did.

This is a book that will make you think about life and its value. It will make you cry. And while the ending didn't convince me of its reality, everything else in the book was so honest to how real people act and react in difficult circumstances. It's a great book and worth reading.

Pros: gut-wrenching scenes, interesting situation, fun characters

Cons: they're helped a surprising amount

Vincent and Jane head to Murano to try to make their verre obscurcie with a local glassmaker. But their ship is waylaid by pirates and things go downhill from there.

This is the fourth book of the Glamourist Histories, and is a great continuation. The couple fall upon bad circumstances and must work hard to regain their former standing. As with the other books there's a personal mystery that glamour is used to solve.

There were some gut-wrenching scenes in the book as the characters deal with what's happened.
Despite the grimness of their situation both the protagonists and some of the people they encounter have fun personalities and mostly upbeat attitudes.

I did question the intricacy of some of the plots Vincent and Jane come up with to return their property, especially considering the number of people who offer to help them.

This is a fun series and a great book.

Pros: realistic world, fascinating protagonist, good pacing

Cons: protagonist is remarkably lucky

Isabella, Lady Trent, looks back on her life in this memoir. It begins with her as a child obsessed with dragons and some of the crazier things she did in order to learn more about them. Her hijinks don't end as she becomes a young lady looking for a suitable match with a library he'll let her read. The book concludes with the first of what would be many excursions researching dragons.

Peppered with illustrations by Todd Lockwood, this is a gorgeous book. The print is a faded brown, rather than black, making it feel old and venerable.

Brennan obviously cribbed from history for this, as Scirland feels much like Victorian England in its social conventions and expansionist ideals. Similarly, Vystrana made me think of Eastern European villages, perhaps along the Russian border (as they're ruled by a Tsar). Regardless of what she cribbed from however, the world feels REAL. There are numerous languages, religions, customs, economic concerns, social concerns (different for men and women), class concerns, etc. In many ways, reading this memoir felt like reading an actual memoir, with just enough details about the daily life and times of the protagonist (which she mentions were different from the life and times of the present from which she's writing).

The pacing is great, with new challenges appearing for Isabella just as the previous ones are dealt with.

The only problem I could see with the book was that Isabella is amazingly lucky. She manages to get herself in and out of some difficult situations with fewer negative consequences than one would expect.

The ending is properly shocking, with the acknowledgement that there's more to the story. Given what she goes through in this volume I look forward to reading about her further adventures.

Pros: fascinating world-building, interesting characters, twisting plot

Cons:

Neverfell was found around the age of five in the tunnels of Cheesemaster Grandible. Seven years later, a series of errors has her emerging into the wider world of Caverna and the mysterious Court that rules it. For in a world where Faces must be learned and lying is a fact of life, Neverfell's face can change expression with her emotions, and lying is beyond her skill.

The world of Caverna is fascinating. You're introduced to it - and all of its various workings - slowly, through Neverfell's eyes and experiences. While she's told early on that everyone lies and manipulates, her own trusting and trustworthy natures make it hard for her to protect herself from the plots of others. As the book progresses, you learn more about the world and the darknesses it's based on.

The plot takes a lot of turns I wasn't expecting, which was a real joy. Neverfell's a great character and her constant curiosity has her acting in unpredictable ways. She starts off hopelessly naive, but over the course of the book learns what society is like, and that not everyone she meets has her best interests in mind. The Kleptomancer is really fun, and I'd have loved seeing more of him and of the brilliantly insane cryptomancers.

This is a fun book, one that briefly touches on numerous discussion points, so it would make a great book club novel.

Pros: unique plot, complex characters

Cons: most of the book centers around the gangs, lots of violence, no deeper meaning

For Parents: there is a lot of violence in this book, all detailed (maimings, killings, gang warfare), some drug use, some swearing, no sex (though there's mention of a rape)

David is dreading the first day of school. It's been several months since his mother died and he quit the football team, but he just learned that his girlfriend is cheating on him with Sam, a violent football player, and pounded Sam's face in at a recent party. His younger epileptic brother, Will, is also nervous. It's his first day of highschool.

Neither of them could have expected the day they had. When the East wing is bombed and soldiers close off the school no one understands why their lives have irrevocably changed. As the students band together into gangs, David and Will are shunned due to David's actions. He vows to keep them alive, through food drops, Will's epileptic seisures and the horrors the school has become.

Unlike the Hunger Games, there's no underlying message here. The book is violent and makes no attempt to mitigate that or teach anything. I was expecting the book to center on survival, instead it was more about gang warfare and a romance between the brothers and a girl they're both attracted to.

I did appreciate the complexity of the characters. Even the kids we're told to root for have negative traits and do things wrong. Similarly, the ‘bad guys' are occasionally sympathetic. This kept all the students feeling real, and made the book more relatable.

While the premise of kids being quarantined in a school was interesting, it wasn't interesting enough to hold me for a novel of this lengh. And I couldn't understand why they were cut off from the world via telephones and internet. Surely the parents of the kids would want to make sure their own sons and daughters were still alive. Not to mention the violence in the school might have been lessened had the kids understood earlier what was happening and/or had more outside contact and more assurance that they'd eventually be able to leave the school and live.

Readers who enjoyed the Maze Runner or Michael Grant's Gone series will see similarities (lack of adults, violence, gang mentality), and will likely enjoy this book a lot. Readers who want a deeper, more thought provoking read should look elsewhere.

Pros: realistic societal tensions in a post-apocalyptic world, compelling quests, strong female protagonist

Cons: don't learn as much about the partials as you'd like, the protagonists get out of several tough situations with surprising ease

For Parents: no sex, no swearing, lots of violence, but nothing too graphic (shooting/death, off stage torture)

It's been 11 years since the genetically engineered partials rose up against their human creators, unleashing a virus that decimated the human population. Now, the remaining survivors live on Long Island, most in the community of East Meadow, which, due to its Hope Act of forcing all women 18 and over to give birth as often as possible, has created a resistance movement called the Voice. Into this turmoil comes a brilliant young hospital intern, Kira. She wants to study the one thus far unstudied aspect of the plague that still kills all human children born. Partials.

Partials is quite an adrenaline rush. There's a lot of action and several quests, starting, but not ending, with Kira's quest to find and capture a partial. While I wasn't always convinced that their plans would work as well as they did, enough things went wrong that I was willing to overlook how often enough went right.

Kira herself was an interesting character. She's borderline irritating, in that she's stubborn and ‘knows' the best course of action, despite only being 16 and a ‘plague baby' (ie, someone born just before the end of the modern world and too young to know what happened with the partials from personal experience). What redeems her is her reliance on her friends and her willingness to accept a change of plans when necessary.

What really sets this book apart is in its realistic depiction of society. There's a wide spectrum of viewpoints, each valid given the circumstances. East Meadows slowly becomes more and more of a dictatorship, as the Voice attacks escalate and the senate institutes more laws to keep the citizens ‘safe', or, as Kira starts to believe, ‘controlled'. Even the principle characters argue over the right and wrong of the senate's decrees. Particularly the debated decision of lowering the Hope Act to include those 16 and up (which would affect them directly). The disconnect between the older generation and the ‘plague babies', shown by the adults' disdain, was also well written.

My only complaint was that you don't learn as much about the partials as you'd like. This book is set up for a sequel, so I'm hoping the partials - and ParaGen, the company that created them - will have more of a part to play.

I'll be waiting eagerly for the next book in this series.

Pros: interesting uses of magic, written with historical accuracy and sensitivity, complex and realistic marital relationship, slow pacing that builds to an exciting climax

Cons:

Married a scarce 3 months and already completing a comission for the Prince Regent, Jane and Vincent decide to take a Honeymoon trip to visit an acquaintance of Vincent's in Belgium. But with Napoleon recently abdicated the throne of France, things in Belgium are unsettled as Vincent and his friend exchange glamour secrets.

This is a fairly quick read, though the pacing is slow. It reads like a novel written during the regency period, as well as one set in that period. Kowal knows her stuff, and uses period words and situations perfectly. So don't expect any sex and only limited impropriety. Some readers may find parts dull - particularly prolongued dinner conversations - but I enjoyed the entire book.

In addition to the Sphere Obscurcie, this book introduces the Chastain Damask as well as the possibility of making glamour transportable, rather than tied to the earth as usual. The couple also create a few glamourals along the way.

My favourite aspect of the book is the complexity of Jane and Vincent's relationship. She's happily married, but easily shaken in her belief of his regard, especially when he becomes more and more preoccupied and evasive in Belgium. Jane excuses his actions, rationalizing them away, while at the same time feels saddened by the distance that seems to grow between them. It's a very realistic look at newlyweds, the constant shift between bliss and uncertainty with regards to your partner. The need for intimacy with the acknowlegment that you can never fully know another person.

The climax of the novel is quite exciting, bringing in glamour, politics and a hint of war.

Pros: gorgeous setting, lyrical writing, interesting characters and magic, unique creatures

Cons: Jenn is surprisingly obtuse at times, uneven pacing

Jenn has never been outside the village of Marrowdell, but she's turning 19 soon and with adulthood comes her opportunity to leave and visit all the place she's heard of. But Jenn is special, and if she leaves Marrowdell, it will destroy not only Marrowdell but the magical Verge it borders.

A dragon, and creature of the Verge, Wisp's penance is to keep Jenn happy - and in the village. But when she wishes him into human form, it becomes more difficult to do both. Because now that he's a human named Wyll, she can marry him, and fulfill her dream to leave.

Bannon is a Rhothan captain and a truthseer, able to see lies. His country's new alliance has forced him to leave and search for a new home. When he stumbles on Marrowdell he realizes he's found it. He quickly falls in love with the village, the life of a farmer, and Jenn.

The Great Turn is coming, an eclipse during which anything is possible. And Jenn isn't the only one hoping to change her destiny.

Czerneda's writing is very lyrical and she does a brilliant job bringing Marrowdell and it's people to life. You quickly get a feel for who's who and what the various connections between the families are. Peggs, Jenn's older sister, who funnels her emotions into baking, was especially fun to read about.

The magic in the book is interesting, from Jenn's ability to wish things into being to Wen's ability to talk to the Verge creatures trapped on their side. I especially liked how Wainn, considered simple, has wisdom where magic and knowing yourself comes into play.

The Verge creatures, dragons aside, are all unique to this book. I loved how they look different in the human realm vs when they're in the Verge.

This is a book that calls out the joy of the fantasy genre. Reading this I felt how I did when I was younger and reading a book for the first time - fully immerserd in the experience. Czerneda's book feels fresh and optimistic in a way I'd forgotten fantasy could, what with the influx of gritty, more ‘realistic' fantasy these past few years.

That doesn't mean it was perfect. My main complaints centered on Jenn and her use of magic. For the most part I really liked her, but there were times when she seemed very naive of consequences and the fact that other people have wishes and desires that might disagree with her own. She's also fairly oblivious to her use of magic, which makes sense when she doesn't know she can do magic. But even once she learns what she is capable of, she still somehow remains ignorant of the magic she performs. I also disliked how, though she promises to ask Wisp/Wyll (as a human) what he wants before making decisions for him, she continues to do so anyway.

Because the book is so long and focused on so many people, I found the pacing somewhat uneven. There were parts that were fascinating and others that weren't. At times my interest was in the sections dealing with magic and the main plot while at other times the scenes that were about village gossip and daily life were much more fun. And while I enjoyed the various romance threads, particularly Peggs', Jenn's waffling about which guy she wanted drove me nuts.

The ending was a little anti-climactic given the build up. I did, however, appreciate that it didn't depend on everyone keeping secrets. Indeed it was great seeing everyone learning about the various difficulties Jenn would face and trying to find solutions. I also liked that the various plot points were tied up, making this a self-contained novel, though it's the first of a series. Still, if you like a good pay-off with lots of action, you won't find it here.

If you're nostalgic for the feel of wonder in your stories or like soap opera style drama than this is for you. If you want action and gritty reality, look elsewhere.

Pros: superb world-building, interesting mix of characters

Cons: characters full names always used, slower middle, defeat the main enemy with surprising ease

Doctor Adoulla Makhslood is an old man, and one of the last true ghul hunters. When his former lover's niece is killed in a ghul attack, he hunts it, and its creator, down. Accompanying him is his apprentice, a skilled and devout Dervish. But what they find isn't an easily defeated evil man who's learned to raise a few ghuls, but monsters the likes of which the doctor has only read about in ancient storybooks.

On their quest, they meet Zamia Badawi, whose desert living band has recently met with the monsters the doctor hunts and who possesses ancient magics herself.

Meanwhile, the ‘Falcon Prince', an outlaw who steals from the rich and helps the poor, is inciting rebellion against the Khalif of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms.

I really enjoyed the varied characters in the book. The Doctor is irreverent but knowledgeable in the ways of the world. By the middle of the book he's requested help from an older couple, two of his travelling companions from times past. The contrast between the experienced old people and the two teens (the apprentice and Zamia), makes for some fun scenes. The elders quickly become exacerbated by the simple beliefs of the teens, while the teens help infuse the adults with determination and belief in their eventual victory.

In addition to having older protagonists, the book also brings in characters with different backgrounds. Zamia is a tribeswoman, derided by the doctor for her people's ‘barbaric' beliefs. And his friends are both from different nations. Each character had good and bad traits, as well as personal struggles to overcome in the book. They all felt like real people, with real challenges, trying to figure out what to do next when there's no right - or easy - answers.

While most of the novel took place in and around the city of Dhamsawaat, having characters from other nations helped make the larger world come alive. The city itself felt like a character at times, sprawling across the pages in all its glory. The scents, sounds and feelings of grandeur, squalor and packed humanity are vividly told, though not overbearingly so.

The beginning and ending of the book are filled with monsters, spell work and sword fighting, which makes the middle - with its numerous conversations - seem a bit dull by comparison. Important stuff happens, gathering information, resting, intrigue and gossip, but there was a stretch where it seemed talking was all that was happening.

Each character had a fairly long name and for some reason their full name was always used. I ended up abbreviating the names in my head so I could move on with the story.

Given the character's difficulties when facing one of the big bad guys, I was surprised by how quickly they dealt with all their enemies at the end of the book. While it was a satisfying ending, it seemed a bit quick for all the lead-up. Having said that, I did appreciate that each character was changed by the events of the ending. It was nice seeing that the violence and difficult choices had consequences for them.

This tale is self-contained, though it is the first of a series. Despite my minor complaints, it was a fantastic book that really pulled me into the story. I wish I'd been able to read it in a less disjointed way than I did, giving it the attention it deserved. As many other reviewers have said, Saladin Ahmed is a name to watch for.

Pros: thought provoking, philosophical without being moralistic, good mix of personal intensity and world affairs, good mix of horror and humour

Cons:

This is John Farrell's account of the years during which the cure for aging is legalized. It is discovered several years after the cure (and most documentation regarding that period) has been destroyed. This frame story gives the novel a similar feel to Max Brooks' World War Z. The reader knows how the book will end, and wants - desperately - to understand how the world came to this horrible place. And don't let the cover fool you, this book has more in common with Cormac McCarthy's The Road than it does with Christopher Moore's humorous satires.

Farrell is 29 when he gets the cure, and for the next few decades parties and enjoys life. He's a lawyer when the idea of cycle marriages (which end after 40 years) become the vogue and is often at the wrong place at the wrong time when it comes to protests and reactionary thinking. Because not everyone thinks the cure is a good thing. And the novel is VERY clear that the wrong place is everywhere. Farrell's experiences are not unique.

From protesters who want the cure legalized, pro-death terrorists, trolls who decide the internet isn't good enough for mischief - they want to maim those who are crowding their space-, to cure hotels in Vegas and the very real consequences of a population that can still catch diseases and die, but can't age beyond their treatment dates, this book covers a lot of philosophical issues. It's impressive that Magary manages to not pass judgement on his characters, showing the different sides of the cure and how humans react to it - or even the promise of it. On occasion Farrell will do roundups with internet links to news articles that mention how the rest of the world is coping with the cure: China bans it, Russia forces its military personnel to get it. He'll also add interviews with pertinent players, like the cure's inventor, or pamphlets, like the one handed out by the Church of Man.

The cure affects every aspect of life, and as the book progresses, the dry humour of the first section slowly vanishes, as Farrell realizes that a life of partying gets old, even if his body doesn't. And when he decides to do something worthwhile with his life, fate steps in.

Magary uses expressions and new language with no explanations (like plug-ins for electric cars), which adds authenticity to his well realized future.

Postmortal is a book about the best and worst aspects of humankind, a novel that will make you question life, the universe and everything. Ultimately, it's a novel about hope, and how we can't live without it.

The book the video game ‘the witcher' was based off of, the Last Wish is more of a frame story built around a series of short stores. Each story gives more insight into the life and psyche of the Witcher, a man changed by potions and magic so that he can hunt otherworldly creatures. The author skillfully weaves together various mythologies, in some cases refuting them, in others making them his own.

My only criticism is that each story seemed to end a little too soon, leaving me wanting more.

Pros: intense character development, fascinating - if terrifying - world, positive message at the end, thought provoking

Cons: very dark tone, some disturbing scenes (religious / near violent)

Hannah Payne has been sentenced to 16 years as a Chrome. Her skin has been turned a rich, vibrant red in order to denote her crime of murder, for aborting her child. The scourge that killed many and made women infertile has been cured and the Sanctity Of Life laws mark women like Hannah as outcasts. Her fundamentalist Christian upbringing did not prepare her for forbidden love with a married man or the horrors she would face as a Red. When She Woke is Hannah's story of endurance, enlightenment and ultimately self-empowerment.

As with many dystopian novels, When She Woke is terrifying because in may ways it's easy to see this future coming about. In the book Roe v. Wade is overturned in order to help increase the population, an act some parties in the US are already trying to do, removing women's rights to control their own bodies and their bodies' reproduction. The idea of tracking released criminals is also one close to being realized, with the jump to making such a database open to the public only a small step further.

While based on Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is much darker. While she faces the reproach and repudiation of Christians, she also faces the lechery of those who would take advantage of the downtrodden, and a fundamentalist group the equivalent of the KKK, that targets and kills Chromes.

The book was therefore unsettling on a number of levels. It reads as though it will have an unpleasant and depressing ending, yet at some point Hannah stops letting others decide her path and takes control of her own life. It's amazing seeing her go from a cowed if outspoken Christian girl to a fully liberated woman who questions the truth and motivations of others. One who knows the consequences of her actions and is willing to face them instead of trying to please others and their notions of repentance. Her character changes so completely - yet so honestly - as the book progresses that when you reach the end it's hard to remember who she was at the beginning of the book.

Not for the faint of heart, this is a good thought-provoking read about personal rights, the justice system and being your own person.

Pros: fun, quirky characters, quick moving plot, historical tidbits added, good inclusion of a dark skinned supporting cast member that kept to historical conventions without being racist

Cons: the ending is too sudden (and too soon!)

For Parents: minor violence

Sophronia's antics have given cause for her to be sent to a finishing school. But what her proper mother doesn't realize is that Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy teaches more than just which spoon to use for soup. It also teaches skills in espionage. And Sophronia's first lesson comes when the carriage she and two fellow students are taking to the school is attacked by flywaymen looking for a prototype in the possession of one of the passengers...

The book is a fun romp, with quirky characters and a quick plot. The school is located in an unusual place that makes for a wonderful setting and the mischief Sophronia and her classmates get into trying to figure out what the prototype is and where it's been hidden, is great.

I was a bit concerned by the opening as Sophronia is VERY over the top, but the plot quickly requires it and she never got on my nerves. Nor did any of the other quirky characters.

It was impressive how the author added Phineas B. Crow, aka Soap, to the cast. Sophronia knows it's improper for her to associate with someone of a lower class - and a boy to boot, but she doesn't care about that, or the dark colour of his skin. She's simply curious about him and the world at large.

The ending came too suddenly, and much too soon, for me. I can't wait to see what other adventures Sophronia and her friends get up to.

Pros: amazing world-building, fast-paced, tightly plotted, interesting protagonist, subtle underlying humour

Cons: some situations are hard to believe given the circumstances

“Dear You,

The body you are wearing used to be mine.”

When Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in the rain, surrounded by bodies wearing latex gloves, she has no idea what her name is or how to pronounce it (it rhymes with Tiffany). The two letters in her coat pocket reveal both her identity and a choice: run or stay. A second attack convinces her that running away isn't an option so she decides to impersonate Thomas, a high ranking official in a secret British government organization (the Checquy) that deals with supernatural threats. Despite copious letters left by her ‘predecessor' this is no easy task, made harder by the knowledge that one of her high ranking compatriots was behind the attacks on her and a traitor to the realm.

This is not The Bourne Identity for sf/urban fantasy fans. As a Rook, Myfanwy is in charge of the workings of the Checquy officers in Britain. She has meetings with various people and makes sure the realm is secure by covering things up and reporting them to the appropriate people. Her counterpart, Rook Gestalt, usually handles the field work side of things while she does the desk work. And she's very good at desk work. As the book progresses, the action picks up as Myfanwy is forced to attend to some of the field work, something her predecessor was ill suited for, but which the new Myfanwy is surprisingly adept at.

As a character Myfanwy is fascinating. She's learning about her former self while no longer being that person. She's more direct, more assertive and less willing to leave certain things to underlings. She's also more willing to use her own special abilities. You realize after a while that she's quite different from who she used to be, making it bizarre how few people comment on the change. It also makes for several ridiculous conversations where she's fishing for information she should already know. Sometimes this is commented on in the novel, a few times it is not.

The world-building is excellent. The author gives a lot of information via letters from Thomas, but they're written with dialogue and description, so the book never feels stilted. And while many of the letters are interspersed when specific information is needed, at times the letters are used to enhance the tension, by explaining a necessary side story while the main story builds up to an action sequence. The world of the Checquy is complex, with a school for children with special abilities, a complex hierarchy of the court and pawns, ‘normals' who act as servants and compatriots but who can't rise to levels of power, an American office, etc. Learning about the world is almost as much fun as trying to figure out who the traitor is.

The author is aware of how ludicrous some of the powers and emergency situations are and often makes subtle jokes. When talking about Bath we learn,

“According to Thomas the city had once been a veritable hotbed of manifestations, with every sorcerer, bunyip, golem, goblin, pict, pixie, demon, thylacine, gorgon, moron, cult, scum, mummy, rummy, groke, sphinx, minx, muse, flagellant, diva, reaver, weaver, reaper, scabbarder, scabmettler,... [the list continues for several lines] ogre, cat in shoes, dog in a hat, psychic and psychotic seemingly having decided that this was the hot spot to visit.”

The book is surprisingly fast paced given the partial narrative writing style. There's a fair amount of tension and enough action to keep things interesting.

If you like mysteries and intricate world-building, pick this up.

• Please note that I listened to the audiobook and my review reflects that*
  
  Pros: fantastic narration with individual voices, good pacing, lots of action and intrigue, highly visual
  
  Cons: characters keep fighting despite serious injuries
  
  Waxillium Ladrian has been called back to the metropolis of Elendel from the Roughs to take over his deceased uncle's business. No longer accustomed to life in the city, after spending so much time as a law keeper in the Roughs, Waxillium tries to subvert his natural tendencies in order to be a good lord. But those intentions fall away when the latest in a spree of robberies and kidnappings hit too close to home. Joined by his former partner Wayne and a clever young woman studying law at the university, Wax is determined to solve this case.
  
  Sanderson has created a fantastic world. The Alloy of Law takes place some 300 years after his Mistborn trilogy, but you don't need to read that in order to enjoy this novel. A cross between fantasy and western - with a little steampunk thrown in - it's helped usher in a new subgenre of fantasy (others that do the same thing would be Gemma Files's A Book of Tongues, Christine Cody's Bloodlands and Mike Resnick's Buntline Special). The mythology is touched on briefly, but the real treat here is the ‘magic' of Allomancy and Feruchemy, both ways to manipulate metals. Wax is a twinborn, meaning he can do both forms of magic - using his metal minds he can manipulate his weight and as a coinshot he's able to push on steel. These abilities, combined with a steady hand and sharp wits make him a formidable lawman.
  
  Wayne acts as necessary comedic relief from Wax's melancholy and seriousness. Wayne's abilities are to create a speed bubble in which time flows faster for him (allowing him to dodge bullets and have private conversations in a room full of people) and the ability to heal himself quickly, provided he has health built up (done by being sick for an equivalent amount of time in advance).
  
  The audiobook narrator, Michael Kramer, does an amazing job. Not only is the narration crisp and clear - properly enunciated and easy to follow - but he does voices too! Each character, when speaking has their own individualized voice. And Wayne, who uses disguises throughout the book, is voiced with various accents. It's absolutely remarkable and made listening to the book such a pleasure.
  
  The book is well paced, with downtime and action all culminating in a great showdown. And so much of the story is easy to visualize. When Wax flies through the mist in his billowing mistcoat, guns blazing... This book would make a fantastic film.
  
  The only real ‘complaint' I had, was that Wax managed to keep fighting even when subject to multiple injuries. Given that he has no healing abilities (unlike Wayne) it seemed a bit far fetched that getting shot wouldn't faze him beyond a little bit of pain. But that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.
  
  If you want a different kind of fantasy, like westerns or just good storytelling, pick this one up. It's the first in a series but wraps up nicely so if you don't feel like continuing you don't have to. Though, the fantastic writing and fun characters will probably have you waiting impatiently for book two.

Pros: strong female protagonist, fast paced, lots of plot twists, minor romance elements

Cons: limited emotional punch, simplistic world building

Avry of Kazan is a healer in a post plague world where healers have been hunted and killed for spreading the disease that decimated the populace of the Fifteen Realms. After three years of hiding, her cover is blown when she heals another child. Too ill from the aftereffects of the child's illness (which must be taken into herself in order to heal it) for her to run, she's taken by the authorities and sentenced to death.

Kerrick of Alga finds her there, and frees her with the condition that she heal his friend. But his friend has the plague, and healing it means dying herself.

Touch of Power is reminiscent of Snyder's first novel, Poison Study. The protagonist is a feisty young woman, the romance creeps up on you towards the end (with many clues, but no acknowledgement until the climax), and fast paced story telling with lots of plot twists to keep you turning pages.

Tragedy didn't make my connect with the characters as I would have liked, until the final scene. I wanted to feel their losses as well as their joys, and didn't quite get there.

The world was interesting, some aspects (like the events surrounding the plague and the death lilies) were well detailed and others (differences in customs between Realms) were ignored. In other words, it's a very tight story, with no digressions for elements unconnected to the plot, even if a few side details wouldn't have been amiss.

This somewhat open ended book is a solid beginning to a new trilogy.

Pros: brilliant writing, sympathetic protagonist, open to sequels, very fast read, hard to put down

Cons: some plot twists depended on remarkably good luck/coincidence, ending implies Juliette made a choice she didn't actually make (yet)

For Parents: some sexual content (kissing +, but no actual sex), some language, some violence

Seventeen year old Juliette can't touch people without causing them pain and ultimately killing them. Three years ago she forgot this truth and had an accident that still haunts her and sent her to solitary confinement at an insane asylum.

Her hellish life changes when she's given a cellmate, a boy named Adam who looks familiar.

This is a book about power, control and sanity. Juliette is surprisingly strong for a woman who's close to losing her sanity due to this power she cannot control. When she comes under the power of the clearly insane Warner, who wants to use her ability to torture and kill those who defy the Reestablishment, the new global world order, she has to make some tough decisions.

Mafi's dystopic world is horrific, one in which people have given up what freedoms remained to them after the plants and animals became so polluted that eating them meant poisoning themselves. The Reestablishment promised hope, but delivered a totalitarian regime in which a few live in luxury while the rest suffer.

The writing is brilliant. Like with Patrick Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go, Mafi knows the rules of writing and breaks them in delightful ways. Each word is chosen with care, as the protagonist makes the most unusual - but intelligent - metaphors.

Juliette is an intriguing character who is immediately sympathetic. She's never had physical comfort, no hugs, kisses, pats on the back. Seeing through her eyes, it's hard to understand how she survived so long in a hostile world. And she's constantly self-censoring her thoughts, crossing out what she's actually thinking and feeling and replacing those thoughts with ones she thinks others will find more acceptable, because she's spent her life trying to be better and do better so that people will love her.

There's a pretty intense love story woven through the book, made challenging because Juliette doesn't believe she's worthy of love, despite her yearning for it. So the revelation that her suitor can touch her is quite profound, giving her the sensations she's always craved. While there's a lot of touching and kissing and yearning, there's no actual sex.

This is a quick read as the book is very compelling and hard to put down. There are some negative points, but you almost pass over them because you want to know what's going to happen next so badly. A few plot points are accomplished by means of supreme luck with regards to the protagonists. Some of their escapes happen too easily given the world and their circumstances. And the ending implied Juliette made a decision that she never actually made (though the implication is that she would make the choice that the book states she already made).

It's an open ended conclusion that begs for sequels.

Translated from Italian by Richard Dixon

Pros: fascinating look at a period of history largely ignored by modern readers, thought provoking

Cons: lots of politically incorrect and thereby uncomfortable speeches, vivid depiction of a black mass, unlikable protagonist

Simone Simonini's personal motto is, Odi ergo sum. I hate, therefore I am. An Italian living in Paris, Simonini hates: the Germans, the French, the Italians, women, Jesuits, and most importantly, the Jews. Which is why, after years of forging documents and fermenting chaos for various government agencies, he has created his masterpiece - a document that will turn the nations of the world against the Jews.

The novel begins with Simonini having lost his memory. He starts a diary in order to remember who he is, starting with his youth. Abbe Dalla Piccola, living in an adjoining apartment, has also lost his memory, but seems to know what happened during segments of Simonini's past, adding his own notes to Simonini's writings. Are they the same person? Or did Simonini merely confess these actions to the abbot?

Simonini is not a likable protagonist, and the book is an uncomfortable read, both due to Simonini's extremely vitriolic hate speeches (against many groups but there's more anti-semitic sentiment than others) as well as for a detailed description of a black mass (modified Latin and all). The second chapter of the book serves as a litmus test for the rest, shocking the reader and daring you to read on. If you can get past chapter 2 you'll have read the worst - though not the only - hate speeches in the book.

The book takes place during the late 1800s, when racist sentiments were the norm. Based on real people and events, it's a difficult, yet fascinating world to be thrown into. Along the way you encounter Alexander Dumas, Sigmund Freud (spelled Froide in the book), the Satanic cultist Abbot Boullan and more. From the Second Italian War of Independence to the Paris Commune of 1871, you'll be exposed to the bitter realities of the times. A reader would do well to have quick access to wikipedia in order to learn more about some of the strange - and accurate - things mentioned.

The Prague Cemetery is more accessible to the average reader than some of Eco's other novels which, given the sarcasm inherent in his forward and afterward is likely due to pressure from his publisher. Most of the foreign language segments have been translated into English, and he's helpfully provided a timeline at the back of the book for those who couldn't follow the narrative. A dramatis personae list would have been more helpful, as characters pass in and out of the work so frequently it's hard to remember who they are when they return.

In his forward Eco makes it clear that having his meticulously researched work of fiction compared to a popular (and more fanciful) work like The Da Vinci Code is something of an insult, despite how entertaining the latter book may be. He assumes there are two types of readers - The Da Vinci Code thrill seeker who will take all the events depicted in The Prague Cemetery as entertaining fiction, and the more intelligent reader who is interested in history and recognizes the real events and characters depicted and who see the horror inherent in the underlying message that real people did these things.

It seems that Eco is commenting on how far we as humans have come in the past two hundred years, by reminding us of where we've been. If so, it's also a warning of how easy it is to fall prey to visionaries, revolutionaries and fraudsters. And how readily others are willing to exploit us. Caveat lector: Let the reader, beware.

Pros: fascinating world, strong female protagonist

Cons: slow pacing

Tanyana is an extremely talented architect, manipulating pions to create a huge sculpture of Grandeur for the Veche, when disaster occurs. Angry red pions, a kind she's never seen before, attack the statue and her, causing her to fall from a terrible height. When she awakens, her ability to see pions has disappeared, instead she can now see debris, the by-product of pion work. No one but her believes that her fall was anything but an accident.

I don't generally like character driven stories. I find that half way through I get bored with the protagonist and want to see more plot. Debris did not have that problem. Tanyana Vladha is a strong, and strong-willed, protagonist. She's feisty without being bi*chy, able to ask for, and accept, help from others, even if she doesn't particularly want to. And despite the changes in her life she never forgets what happened, and never stops trying to find out more - advancing the plot just enough to keep things interesting.

Having said that, the pacing is fairly slow, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the world. This didn't bother me much, as I liked the characters and there was enough plot to keep me interested, but I suspect others will find that the story drags at points.

I was a little surprised by the nature of her relationship with Devich, the technician who helps her become a debris collector and thought Tanyana made a few unwise decision with regards to her life post accident. But given her trauma, it's understandable that she'd want to hold onto the things of her success and fall for a guy who's understanding and convinced she hasn't really fallen from her former position.

The publisher pegs this as science fiction. The only real science could be the idea that pions are atoms, but their manipulation, the collection of debris and the world itself feel more like fantasy.

It's a promising debut.