Review: 57. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa...

I picked this one up on a whim the last time I was at the library, and now I'm hoping I remember where from so I can get the next two!

Title: The Color of Earth (The Color of Earth #1)
Author: Kim Dong Hwa
ISBN-13: 9781596434585
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: First Second, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library


drey's thoughts:
I love the cover of The Color of Earth, and it's the reason I even picked it up at all. Then I opened the book and was swept away by the captivating story of a little girl who is growing up and learning about love and life.

Ehwa is seven years old when we meet her, and she's found out that the villagers in her town can be cruel and thoughtless, men can be pigs, and little girls don't have the same parts as little boys... Two years later she wonders about babies, her widowed mother falls in love, and she meets a shy young monk. We follow along as Ehwa navigates her way through the changes in her body and the unfamiliar pangs of infatuation and young love.

The art is simply drawn, yet evocative of the Ehwa's feelings. There were pages where I could just tell where she was at emotionally, without reading any of the words on the page. Which would've been a pity, as the words themselves flow together beautifully. I loved the characters, I loved the artwork, and I loved the story.

drey's rating: Outstanding! I'm going to pick up The Color of Water for one of my travel reads next week.

Review: 48. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire...

Hmm... I've found another series where I've skipped writing reviews. I will have to re-read and catch up on reviews for A Local Habitation and An Artificial Night...

Title: Late Eclipses (October Daye #4)
Author: Seanan McGuire
ISBN-13: 9780756406660
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
I love Toby Daye--she's definitely up there with my other favorite kick-ass heroines: Joanne (Walker), Mercy (Thompson), Jane (Yellowrock), and Gin (Blanco). Why? Well, she's snarky. She kicks ass. And she does everything she can for all the right reasons, even if it's unappreciated.

Toby barely made it through An Artificial Night, and things don't slow down for this changeling-knight-and-P.I. in Late Eclipses. Sure, it starts off with something as mundane as grocery shopping with her posse (all two of 'em!), but she's almost immediately summoned to an audience with the Queen of the Mists. Then she finds out the Lady of the Tea Gardens is sick and possibly dying, and nobody knows how or why. If that's not enough on her plate, Toby is found with a poisoned Luna in her arms at a ball, and slowly but surely comes the realization that someone is killing those closest to her--and blaming her for the deaths... The cherry on top? She has to wear dresses! The horror!

There are not too many new faces in Late Eclipses; most of the characters here were introduced in prior installments. My favorite? Tybalt. The enigmatic ruler of the Cait Sidhe helps protect the denizens of the Tea Gardens, and I love that Toby wears his jacket (except when going to visit the Queen). He's strong, loyal, and honorable--what's not to like? Then there's Connor, but I do wish that Toby would avoid married men (even when they're married to crazy loonies, and yes, even if they had a history).

And lest you start thinking that Late Eclipses is all about the characters or the romantic possibilities, rest assured that there's plenty of plot and action to follow--especially as she's frantically trying to figure this out on her own. The Luidaeg is sitting this one out, the Duke is laid low by his wife's illness, and Lily's ailing. Poor Toby. She needs more friends...

This is not a book to read in spurts--you'll want to set aside enough time to get from cover to cover, because you won't want to put it down once you start. And the revelations are enough to make me antsy for the next October Daye book. One Salt Sea is coming in September. Hurry up already! *grin*

drey's rating: 5/5 Outstanding! Urban fantasy fans who haven't read Seanan McGuire's October Daye series should give it a try for the realistically dark storytelling that will grab your attention and not let go until you've run out of pages--and even then, very reluctantly.

Have you read Seanan McGuire's October Daye series or Late Eclipses? What did you think? And if you haven't, make sure you read 'em in order:
1. Rosemary and Rue
2. A Local Habitation
3. An Artificial Night
4. Late Eclipses

Review: 46. Spirit Dances by C.E. Murphy...

Ok, so I'm not quite one of the first-in-line to read C.E. Murphy's latest Walker Papers installment. But I inhaled it as soon as I could, and whoa! Just whoa...

Title: Spirit Dances (Walker Papers #6)
Author: C.E. Murphy
ISBN-13: 9780373803255
eBook
Publisher: Luna, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Oh my goodness!! The ending to Spirit Dances totally knocked me over. Don't get me wrong, it was a good knock-me-over,  but I'm still digesting it... On the one hand, I'm soooooooo happy for Joanne. On the other I'm like, "wait, what???" Way for C.E. Murphy to leave me hanging! When is Raven Calls coming out? Aargh!!!

Ok, ok, let's start at the beginning. After Demon Hunts, which I cannot believe I didn't review (I will have to rectify that oversight!!), Joanne's made some discoveries about her magic and her path, and Morrison seems to be a bit more open-minded where it relates to things magical. Not that he likes it, but still--'tis an improvement.

Spirit Dances starts Joanne off with an automatic suspension and, of all things, a date. With Morrison. So what if it was accidental? A date is a date. And this one is to a Native American ghost dance performance, which has Joanne intrigued. Unfortunately, quite a few things go awry, and now Joanne's not only trying to find out who's stealing souls but she also has to find Morrison. Can she do it all?

Character: I heart Joanne. She is so kick-ass when she has to be, but when she's not, she is so normal. Flustered at talking to the guy she likes, trying to hide that fact, failing miserably at it, blushing up a storm when her friends tease her about said guy... And she's funny. Have I mentioned that yet? Yeah, Joanne's funny, especially when trying to not insert foot into mouth (which usually happens when around that guy). Like "... hair's not like a leg. It grows back."

My favorite Joanne trait? Her innate goodness. The best heroines  have a compass that keeps them on their path, even when doing the right thing isn't easy (i.e. almost kills you), doesn't make you any friends (who needs friends anyway?), and sometimes doesn't feel like it's the right thing. And for Joanne, her magic is showing a definite opinion on what it prefers to be used for. Can you imagine if that was you, and your magic essentially passes judgement on your actions? Whoa. Of course, Joanne handles that the only way she knows how--she's confused, but keep moving forward. There'll be time to figure things out later, as long as she can save the world now.

The supporting cast of characters are plentiful, but our usuals don't really feature much in this Joanne-rich installment--not even Morrison. I will 'fess up to picturing Daniel Craig as Morrison. Yeah, I know, I know, he's not tall enough. But he does look yummy in a penguin suit. Anyway. I liked the Morrison that made an appearance in Spirit Dances. He's more open-minded, and seems to have loosened up quite a bit, and it shows in his interactions with Joanne. I'm hoping he's like a cognac that improves with time... *wink*

Pace & Plot: Unlike portions of Demon Hunt, where Joanne was almost paralyzed by lack of knowledge on what to do about the wendigo, there are no slow spots in Spirit Dances. Sure, there are things she doesn't know about this particular evil that she's hunting, but she doesn't have time to slow down. So it's full speed ahead, and keep-your-fingers-crossed-there-isn't-a-train-waiting-to-smash-you-to-bits.

I really enjoyed the multitude of Native American references, too. In the other books, other than Coyote and the occasional nod to her heritage, Joanne's Cherokee heritage isn't made much of (unless I just never noticed). But here, it's front and center, from the description of the ghost dance, to her spirit animals' assistance in her task.

drey's rating: 5/5 Outstanding! This is the best Walker Papers book yet.

Have you read the Spirit Dances yet? What did you think?

Review: 16. Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter...

This could be a really really SHORT review, 'cuz I can say it in just one word: WOW. But, because this is a serious review blog, I shall endeavor to expand on that WOW. Just for y'all... Aren't you glad I like you? *wink*

Title: Mercy Blade (Jane Yellowrock #3)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451463722
eBook
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
In this highly-anticipated third installment in Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series, Jane's headed to the Big Easy, to do a job for the Master of the City, Leo Pellisier. Not too much of a hardship, as her new main man--undercover cop Rick--is there too. But it's not too long before their jobs get in the way of their relationship...

To add to the man-undercover-angst, her boss Leo's not too fond of Jane right now (after the events in Blood Cross), so she also has stay-under-the-radar angst. But when trouble shows up in the form of weres (dogs AND cats), that doesn't stop her from trying to head off a revenge-motivated retaliation against Leo. Unfortunately for Jane, all of this action's just the side dish to Leo's main task for her: find the vamp who's returned to his territory, and tell him to get lost. Or else.

Character: Jane rocks. She's tough, mentally and physically. And yet she's still vulnerable, especially when trusting her heart to others. So you're totally with her when she starts having doubts about Rick, especially when she hasn't seen him in ages, and it looks like he's hanging with another gal. But I'd expect her to not be so darn wishy-washy about him. You get the facts and then deal with it. Not dwell in angst.

I really like Bruiser in this installment, his character's much more fleshed out, and if Rick weren't in the picture (is he still? I'm not telling!), I'd say take Bruiser for a ride! *wink* The werecats who show up could've been featured more, I think, but maybe that's just because I'm curious, darn it. Yes, yes, I know all about curiosity and cats... Still...

Pace & Plot: Well. Faith Hunter doesn't make you wait for the action, that's for sure. And when the plot gets going, you want to make sure you've got a chunk of time carved out for this book, because this is jam-packed with stuff. If this were an action film, there'd be car chase scenes and explosions and death-defying feats all over it... (cue Quantum Solace theme song... yes, I'm a Daniel-Craig-as-Bond girl...) But since it's a book, you just get fight scenes, fight scenes, and more fight scenes. Phew.

Lest you think it's all action and no substance, you also get Jane wondering about her and Beast, and why there aren't more of them... Some questions get brought up, and I sure hope they get answered! I'm impatiently waiting on the next one.

drey's rating: 5/5 Outstanding! If you haven't read Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock urban fantasy yet, well, why not?

Have you read Mercy Blade? What did you think?

Review: 153. The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell...

Alden Bell's The Reapers are the Angels has been waiting patiently for me to read it, and now I have. Add this to your winter reading if you're looking for something a little post-apocalyptic starring zombies... Or if you're just looking for something to read.

Title: The Reapers are the Angels
Author: Alden Bell
ISBN-13: 9780805092431
ARC: 225 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

drey's thoughts:
The world has gone to heck in a handbasket, and fifteen-year-old Temple has to leave her pretty little lighthouse because it's not going to be safe for much longer, especially since the meatskins--that's what the zombies are called in this offering from Alden Bell--have managed to get to it. So she takes off to see what else is out there. Other than meatskins, that is...

Then she finds a group of people holed up in a city. A group trying to take things back from the meatskins, and keep civilization (as they know it) going. But when one of the men in that group attempts an assault, Temple kills him in self-defense and earns the enmity of his brother Moses, and has to leave the safety that the group represents.

Temple is an intriguing character. At times almost sweet, she's usually brusque and has no trouble saying what she means. She's got a good sense of self-preservation, and yet shows compassion. She wields her gurkha knife like she means business (which she does, because it literally can be the difference between life and death--or meatskin state) and keeps her gun as a backup because bullets are hard to come by. And as she drives north, then west, you want her to find whatever peace she is looking for, because this life is so devastatingly depressing. Yet, she has this pragmatic outlook on things, and is even at times hopeful, and you cannot help but wonder at it.

I loved Temple. Read this. Before I send meatskins after you. *grin*

drey's rating: Outstanding

Challenges: 100+, Pub