Bitten by Books

Mona Lisa is the first mixed blood Queen the Monere have ever had. Descended from the moon, her people, the Monere draw their strength and long lifespan from it. Once a month her people gather to her to bask in the light of the moon while she draws down its power. On this night of the vernal equinox, one of the two times a year when night and day are equal and the barrier between Earth and Hell is at it’s weakest something goes terribly wrong. She is engulfed by darkness and disappears only to find herself in NetherHell.

NetherHell is the lowest level of hell and a place where even her mate and a Crown Prince of Hell, Halcyon, dares not go. While struggling to survive in NetherHell a gargoyle warlord named Gordane captures her. He’s soon obsessed with Mona and she finds it difficult not to return his affections. By becoming her protector through NetherHell Mona Lisa finds herself more and more drawn to him. Her feelings for Gordane begin to grow and strengthen, but what happens when Mona Lisa’s lost love reappears and crosses the threshold of NetherHell to rescue her? All this while her inner demon, the evil Monere queen that she shares her body with, Mona Louisa, is doing her level best take control of Mona Lisa’s body.

Mona Lisa Darkening is Sunny’s newest installment in her Children of the Moon series. Mona Lisa Darkening is her best since The Children of the Moon debut novel, Mona Lisa Awakening. Mona Lisa Darkening not only introduces a well thought out new character, but brings back a favorite of readers. Life is anything but boring for Mona Lisa and this time around things become even more incredible. Halycon is probably most people’s favorite of Mona Lisa’s loves, but Gordane makes a strong go at the title. He will leave readers demanding to know more about him.

Mona Lisa Darkening is a self describing title. The sweet, innocent Mona Lisa we met in the first novel is long gone, but in a good way. The character continues to grow throughout each novel making her boldest moves yet. While Mona Lisa comes from an alien race who need the moon in order to draw down their powers, she’s only human. Using the Superman mythos of having incredible powers while at the same time tempering those powers with her human upbringing and the morals that go with that, you will find yourself drawn in.

If you haven’t read Sunny’s Monere, Children of the Moon series, and I confess I read all four to do this review, I believe you’re missing out. I was pleasantly surprised by all four and can’t wait for the next installment.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425226476
• ISBN-13: 978-0425226476

To purchase a print copy of Mona Lisa Darkening click here.

Books in the Monére, Children of the Moon series in the order they should be read:

Mona Lisa Awakening
Over the Moon - Anthology story “Mona Lisa Three”
Mona Lisa Blossoming
On the Prowl - Anthology story “Mona Lisa Betwining”
Mona Lisa Craving
Mona Lisa Darkening

To visit the author’s website go here.

I have to start this review with a confession; Neil Gaiman holds a special place in my reading heart. His Sandman comics series was the first series I found that proved that comic books could be written on multiple levels - for kids and adults. With that said I’m going to do my best to give you an honest review of his latest novel, The Graveyard Book.

The Graveyard Book is a novel of horror. Marketed at Young Adults, but there are terror filled moments in these pages. There’s also a bittersweet longing that, for lack of a better word, haunts this book. The novel begins with a woman, a man and the elder child dead in their home. The killer’s name is Jack and there is one more murder to be committed. The youngest child, a toddler. But, only a teddy bear remains in his crib. The boy, while sucking on his “nummer” has already escaped down the stairs and out the door. Walking in his weeble-wobble way he’s already headed up the hill towards the graveyard.

The toddler will grow to manhood in this graveyard. Protected and taught the secrets of life and death by its inhabitants. The dead, the undead, the spirits and the demons find the boy and name him Nobody or Bod for short. Bod remains in the graveyard because he knows that Jack is waiting for him should he emerge.

Gaiman does a brilliant retelling of Kipling’s Jungle Books, and succeeds in making the story greater then the original. Trade the jungle for a graveyard. Trade the bear for a ghost. Trade the bloodthirsty tiger for a murderous killer. It’s all there, but with something more. The premise is there, but Gaiman works his usual genius. Making the graveyard a place of magic and melancholy. Where the dead sit and talk, and you love them for it.

You will be the one left out in the cold if you pay too close of attention to the YA classification. Just like with The Sandman almost 20 years ago, Gaiman makes this novel accessible and enjoyable for ages 8 to 80. Don’t do yourself the disservice of missing out on the wonderment found in The Graveyard Book. I think I may have found the first novel to read to my son in a few years. The Graveyard Book rightfully deserves 5 out of 5 tombstones.

Also, if you have a chance, please pick up a copy of the the audio book. Mr. Gaiman’s reads it himself and it’s truly stellar. He’s one of the few author’s I know of who do their own audio books, and he has an amazing reading voice. The Graveyard Book, to me, is even better than Coraline, which was his previous novel aimed at YA’s and soon to be a motion picture.

Book Stats:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060530928
• ISBN-13: 978-0060530921

To purchase a print copy of The Graveyard Book click here.
To purchase the CD version of The Graveyard Book click here.

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

Morgan Kingsley, the best exorcist in the United States, has a life that hasn’t been the same since she herself was possessed by Lugh, King of the demons. And no, the irony isn’t lost on her. Sociopath demons have tried to kill her. She’s discovered her past was nothing but a lie. Her house, along with all her worldly possessions, has burned down. The man who raised her as her father is dead. Her brother has been possessed, set free and repossessed. She’s embroiled in the middle of a demon civil war, and oh yes, if she doesn’t learn how to cede control of her body to Lugh, her life expectancy is going to be severely shortened. No pressure, right?

Being the human host for the king of the demons doesn’t pay as well as you might expect, and Morgan needs money since everything went up in the fire. Along comes Claudia Brewster into her office. Ms. Brewster’s son, has gone from a member of God’s Wrath to a voluntarily host for a demon in the span of ten days. Claudia wants Morgan to perform an illegal exorcism and is willing to pay. This automatically smells wrong to Morgan. To go from a rabid anti-demon member of God’s Wrath to a willing host just doesn’t happen. The problem is that Tommy Brewster went through the entire check out process: videotape, interview by a psychiatrist, checked by an exorcist to prove he isn’t already possessed, and signing the papers in court. Morgan won’t perform the illegal exorcism because under the law it would be considered murder, but does agree to check it out.

While investigating the hinky possession, Lugh informs her of his plans. Lugh must be heard from by the other demons and for that he must hold court on earth. The one flaw in this plan is that for this to happen Morgan must learn how to hand control of her body to Lugh. Not being in control has never been Morgan’s forte, but for her own safety she’s going to need to learn.

Morgan really grows throughout the entire series, but especially here in The Devil’s Due. Considering where she started in The Devil Inside, listening to no one and hating all demons, to where she ends up at the end of this novel, her growth is truly remarkable. I believe Ms. Black concentrated on Morgan’s growth as well as her secondary characters Lugh, Dominic, Adam, Brian and Raphael.

Ms. Black writes my favorite kind of Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance books, fast paced, dark and at times erotic. You’ll enjoy The Devil’s Due from start to finish and have problems putting it down. The fourth Morgan Kingsley book Speak of the Devil comes out on July 29, 2009 and it can’t get here fast enough for me.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440244927
• ISBN-13: 978-0440244929

To purchase a print copy of The Devil’s Due click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of The Devil’s Due click here.

Books in the Morgan Kingsley series in the order they should be read:
The Devil Inside
The Devil You Know
The Devil’s Due

To visit the author’s website go here.

Her name is Morgan Kingsley, and she’s an exorcist. Meaning her job and reason for living is to kick demon ass. Unfortunately, for her that means only illegal demons, the ones who possess unwilling humans or commit violent crimes. It’s unfortunate because Morgan doesn’t care for “legal” demons any more than the illegal ones. Legal demons only possess the willing. Those humans who are willing to trade control over their own bodies and minds for the enhanced strength and healing the demon gives them. These humans for the most part are members of the “Spirit Society,” (such as Morgan’s own parents and brother) who worship the demons.

Morgan’s life goes from livable to straight to hell in Black’s first novel of the series, The Devil Inside. When she discovers she herself is one of the unwilling possessed. Not just by any run of the mill demon either, but by Lugh, king of the demons. Lugh, who is embroiled in a civil war in the demon realm against his eldest brother, Dougal who wants the throne for himself. To further complicate things Lugh is an unwilling possessor, and he cannot take over Morgan’s body as most demons could because her aura is even stronger than his. The only way Lugh and Morgan can speak to one another is in dreams.

The demon civil war is beginning to escalate, and Morgan is right in the middle. The Devil You Know begins with Dominic (former possessed and firefighter) showing up at her door with news from Adam that he knows Morgan is surely going to hate. Dominic is Adam’s lover, who is also the Director of Special Forces for Philadelphia and possessed himself. His job makes him the head cop who investigates all demon related crimes, but he is loyal to Lugh. To say that Morgan dislikes Adam is understating the point…but he has been investigating Morgan’s family and past to find out why she of all people was chosen by Raphael (the demon formerly inside her brother and younger brother to Lugh) to host Lugh. The answers may just change everything Morgan once held true.

To further complicate things Morgan’s brother, Andy has awakened from his catatonic state. The state most of the possessed who lose their demons find themselves in. Questions begin to arise: What did Raphael actually let Andy see and hear when he was inside him? Who is the demon known as ‘The Hunter,’ and why is he after Morgan? The most important, now that Morgan has learned her true past how will this affect her future?

Jenna Black deftly applies the first rule to writing a sequel, don’t just add to your main character’s backstory, flesh out the secondary character’s stories as well. The Devil You Know isn’t non-stop action, but builds and builds like a thriller should. You can pick The Devil You Know up without reading The Devil Inside, but I suggest you start with The Devil Inside or you’ll lose some of the finer points in this novel. I give The Devil You Know 4 out of 5 tombstones.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553590456
• ISBN-13: 978-0553590456

To purchase a print copy of The Devil You Know click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of The Devil You Know click here.

Books in the Morgan Kingsley series in the order they should be read:
The Devil Inside
The Devil You Know
The Devil’s Due

To visit the author’s website go here.

Jenna Black begins The Devil Inside with her protagonist, Morgan Kingsley driving in Kansas to exorcise a demon out of an 11-year-old girl. She doesn’t truly believe the girl to be possessed since demons as a rule only take strong hosts, but a priest and the courts have both agreed that she is. Coupled with the fact that Kansas (as well as her home state of Pennsylvania) is one of the 10 states that still execute (read burn at the stake) humans hosting illegal demons (those demons who enter a host without being invited), Morgan heads out to the middle of nowhere Kansas…to save the little girl if nothing else.

Illegal demons? Yes, there are such things as legal demons running about as well. They reside inside a willing host in exchange for the enhanced strength and healing abilities that they bring. Morgan’s brother, Andrew whom she loves/loved more than life itself, is one of those volunteers to a demon by the name of Raphael. Morgan considers him dead to her now because there is nothing more repellent to Morgan than demons and being controlled by them.

Unfortunately for Morgan, little Lisa Walker of Topeka, Kansas is well and truly possessed and it takes all of her strength and knowledge to try and cast him out. An incorporeal demon must be invited into the host, but once there they can transfer to another host by touch. During the exorcism the demon breaks the bonds holding the little girl down and gets a hold of Morgan’s bare arm. When this happens she pushes against the demon’s aura with all her power and finally banishes the demon from the girl.

Kingsley counts herself lucky from that close call until she gets back home, and begins to find notes written to herself in her own hand while she slept. Notes saying that yes, there is a demon inside her and he wants out as much as she wants him out. His name is, Lugh and he is the king of the demons. He’s been trapped inside Morgan against his will and believes the only reason this would happen is so he can be killed and his brother, Dougal ascend the throne. Of course to kill Lugh, Morgan must be burned alive.

Ms. Black starts her novel with action and doesn’t let off the gas until the end. The sex scenes in the book may not be everyone’s cuppa, but they are well done and highly erotic. With that said, if you are not a fan of alternative lifestyle relationships, this book is not for you. Ms. Black makes a huge splash with this first novel in her Morgan Kingsley series.

To give you a hint as to how good this novel is, the publisher was already pushing the second book in the series when the first came out. Now that’s confidence in the publishing world. I give The Devil Inside 4 out of 5 Tombstones which is about as good as a book gets for an introduction. Jenna Black’s 4th book in the Morgan Kingsley series is Speak of the Devil, comes out July 28, 2009.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553590448
• ISBN-13: 978-0553590449

To purchase a print copy of The Devil Inside click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of The Devil Inside click here.

Books in the Morgan Kingsley series in the order they should be read:
The Devil Inside
The Devil You Know
The Devil’s Due

To visit the author’s website go here.

PR consultant Robyn Peltier has moved to Los Angeles after the shooting death of her husband. She is hired by celebutant wannabe, Portia Kane to clean up her image. Robyn doesn’t get much time to do this when while at a club with Portia, Robyn discovers her shot and bleeding to death. To make matters worse, she is found standing over the body with the gun in her hand and runs.

Robyn’s old High School friend, part chaos demon Hope Adams, who is in town on a “work exchange” for her paper, vows to clear her friend’s name. Along with her lover, werewolf and jewel thief, Karl Marsten they discover that rather than a simple murder Robyn has stumbled into the middle of a paranormal turf war.

The detective assigned to the case is John “Finn” Findley who is a necromancer. He is one of the city’s best homicide detectives thanks to the inside information the deceased ghost usually gives him. The dead bodies start piling up, and though he doesn’t believe Robyn to be guilty, the evidence against her is becoming more damning.

I enjoyed this compelling installment of the Otherworld series. While unlike the other novels in this series, it uses a third person point of view and a human protagonist; Ms. Armstrong does a nice job in linking these different viewpoints. However, be forewarned, this story is complex and by no means a jumping off point for new readers. The development of Hope and Karl’s relationship and the introduction of Robyn and Finn are well done. Plus, having a human POV is a refreshing change that readers can empathize with. Plus, the twist at the end makes it all worth it.

Ms. Armstrong is a singular talent in her field. Call it Urban Fantasy or Paranormal romance, but she does it well. I recommend Living With the Dead to fans of these stories. You’ll be swept up in this latest, thrilling ride.

Ms. Armstrong’s next book is Men of the Otherworld an anthology of four stories that she wrote for free on the net with one new one. All the proceeds from the sale of the upcoming book goes to World Literary of Canada. So, be sure to pick it up.

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553806645
• ISBN-13: 978-0553806649

To purchase a print copy of Living With The Dead click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Living With The Dead click here.

Check out the Kelley Armstrong Store

Books in the Women of the Otherworld series in the order they should be read including other stories in the timeline:
Bitten
Stolen
Dime Store Magic
Industrial Magic
Haunted
Chaotic a novella in Dates From Hell
Broken
No Humans Involved
Twilight a story in Many Bloody Returns
Stalked a story in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
Personal Demon
Living with the Dead
Men of the Otherworld

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.

She is Princess Meredith Nic Essus. Wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and now pregnant with twins. The fathers being her loyal bodyguards. All of whom were once her Aunt’s bodyguards, Andais the Queen of Air and Darkness, and Queen of the Unseelie court. There is Doyle, known as simply Darkness by most circles, and her strong right hand. Frost, also known as Killing Frost, lost in the last book of the series to help Meredith bring back much of the magic once lost magic to Faerie. Sholto, King of the sluagh, Lord of that Which Passes Between. Rhys, once a death god. Galen, the Greenman, her childhood love. Mistral, the Storm Lord. All of whom have regained powers thought lost by sharing the bed of Meredith.

Swallowing Darkness begins where A Lick of Frost ended. Merry is in a hospital’s maternity ward after being magically raped by her Uncle, King Taranis, The King of Light and Illusion and leader of the Seelie court. The pace of the novel begins here slowly, but with a sense of building. Is Merry now Queen of the Unseelie since she’s finally pregnant? Will revenge be taken upon Taranis? Will Merry’s children look like Sidhe or something else due to her and the fathers mixed heritage?

This book is almost nonstop action. It can be read in one sitting because you don’t want to put it down. What made this novel better than the others is the pace. Once it gets a hold of you, it doesn’t let go.
Ms. Hamilton almost lost me in this series with Mistral’s Kiss and A Stroke of Midnight, but the series came back with A Lick of Frost. With Swallowing Darkness it solidifies Ms. Hamilton’s storytelling abilities once again.

Is this the last book in the series as the net rumor holds? I don’t think so. There are too many questions left unanswered. What I do know is that this novel is one of the best Ms. Hamilton has produced in years. Well worth buying in hard bound.

Book Stats:

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345495934
• ISBN-13: 978-0345495938

To purchase a print copy of Swallowing Darkness click here.
To purchase a Kindle copy of Swallowing Darkness click here.

Books in the Meredith Gentry series in the order they should be read:
A Kiss of Shadows
A Caress of Twilight
Seduced by Moonlight
A Stroke of Midnight
Mistral’s Kiss
A Lick of Frost
Swallowing Darkness

To visit the author’s website go here.
To visit the author’s blog go here.