REVIEW: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews My rating: 4 of 5 stars CAUTION: Long Review I thought there were a few things that fell short by the end Gunmetal Magic (GM) met my expectation of an engaging and exciting read. Not to mention there were some other things that caught me by surprise in great way. The Love Triangle There wasn't really a love triangle and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand,...

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REVIEW: The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams

The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams My rating: 2 of 5 stars CAUTION: Long Review The Dirty Streets of Heaven was unoriginal and underwhelming. It was another urban fantasy about angels and demons, meaning I didn't expect the series to break new ground. Nonetheless, the countless flaws in the book underlined how much originality the urban fantasy lacked. The World Building +++ the twist TDSH...

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REVIEW: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Assassin's Curse (TAC) was a fun read. What a pity that the YA fantasy lacked substance. Hollow Characters +++ Ananna Ananna was feisty, practical, and compassionate but these traits of her were not in good synergy. One example is when she rescued Naji from an asp after his failed attempt to assassinate her. She acted compassionately...

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NEWS: Of Silencing, Stalking, Deceiving, and Forgiving.

source: GoodReads # Something is very wrong with us, and it’s not bad reviews posted on 17 July 2012 It’s so much worse than that. Something is very wrong with us, and by “us” I mean the online community of (largely) women authors and readers. What is wrong is the “outing,” threatening, shaming, and silencing of readers who are perceived to be too critical of or hostile to authors. And for...

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NEWS: Happy Friday the 13th, Full of Lows and Highs today

source: tumblr # The Drama Llama Rides Again posted on 11 July 2012 More dramas on GoodReads! Urban Fantasy author Jess Haines summarized it best. ...a Goodreads librarian (someone with greater moderating powers than the average Goodreads member) who went over a list of Steampunk titles and deleted a huge number of them. Doing that means the remaining titles show up higher on the ranking when...

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REVIEW: Sorrow's Child by Georgina Anne Taylor

Sorrow's Child by Georgina Anne Taylor My rating: 3 of 5 stars CAUTION: Long Review, Spoilers I started the book with low expectations because (1) presently I can count on one hand books I liked, i.e. 3-stars+ rated, that were authored by my GoodReads friends, (2) Sorrow's Child (SC) was marketed as gothic fantasy and gothic fantasy is on the edge of my genre preference, (3) the blurb — this: 'Sorrow’s...

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REVIEW: The Bandit King by Lilith Saintcrow

The Bandit King by Lilith Saintcrow My rating: 2 of 5 stars CAUTION: Spoilers The second and final book in the Romances of the Arquitaine series, The Bandit King (TBK) immediately picked up where book 1 ended. However, this time the story was told from Tristan's 1st PoV instead Vianne's. The Characters +++ Tristan In book 1, Tristan was a take-charge, do-whatever-it-take character. He was dangerous,...

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NEWS: Two Dramas and an Instant Love

# Author Say to Reviewers: Get Right With God posted on 9 July 2012 Another author went on a tirade this week. Note: it's the last news piece. I agree, the review is tame. More importantly, it doesn't attack the author. The book contains a subject of sensitive nature — a school shooting — so I believe the author should have expected there will be a few readers who will find it distasteful. # KILL...

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NEWS: yaoi dream come true, ender's game copycat, amnesiac PI with hidden power

Bishie Sparkles by Karenna Colcroft Already released GENRE: MM Paranormal Romance Long-time yaoi fan Grant didn't expect to be so attracted to the main character of his latest purchase—and he definitely didn't expect to wake up next to him one morning. But that’s what happened. Even the sparkles, hearts, and small animals from the manga follow Teruo around Grant’s apartment. If Grant weren’t so...

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NEWS: walmart to library, DNF review or no, LGBT YA pride

source: from the article # Abandoned Walmart Transformed Into A Functioning Library posted on 28 June 2012 The International Interior Design Association recently selected the McAllen Public Library as the winner of their 2012 Library Interior Design Competition. The city inherited the former Wal-Mart after the retailer closed the store and abandoned it. That's really cool. Wish I could visit...

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