43. Host by Faith Hunter...

Title: Host (Rogue Mage #3)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462466
eBook
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2009 (reprint)
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Host is an eBook I purchased myself. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Hahahahahahahaha! Thorn gets a new buddy in Host. This one was sent from her former home, the New Orleans Enclave. Yes, the one that threw her out in the first place. Cheran Jones is a prissy and arrogant metal mage whose duty is to instruct Thorn in the arts of diplomacy. Apparently she's not polished enough to represent the neo-mages in Mineral City, even if she's been too busy hiding, killing demon spawn, and containing the Dragon, to worry about "media relations". Along with the Seraphs, the Earth Invasion Heretics, her ex-husband, the town preacher, and all the colorful cast members in the series, Thorn must now defeat the succubus queen if they are to live to see another day.

I like Thorn. She tries to do the right thing, she really really does. But when the "right" thing is asinine, or completely objectionable, she redefines the meaning of right to ensure that her loved ones, her friends, and even the townspeople who don't care for her much, are as safe as she can make them. Host is a satisfying conclusion to the Rogue Mage series. I'm kinda hoping for more Thorn, though...

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+

39. Seraphs by Faith Hunter...

Title: Seraphs (Rogue Mage #2)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462442
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2007
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Seraphs is an eBook that I purchased once I'd inhaled Faith's Jane Yellowrock series. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

About the book:

Living among humans in a post-apocalyptic ice age, neomage Thorn St. Croix has learned to count on her friends, but she's lost count of her enemies. She is a source of both fear and fascination for the people of Mineral City: Her powers can save them from the forces of evil, but also attract demon spawn and succubae. And fighting on her own turf nearly gets Thorn and those she holds dear killed.

But Thorn's ultimate test awaits deep under the snow-covered mountains beyond the village, where an imprisoned, fallen seraph desperately needs her help. There, hidden in the hellhole, the armies of Darkness assemble to ensure this subterranean rescue will be Thorn's final descent.

drey's thoughts:
Ah, Thorn. Now her neo-mage secret is out in the open, and nobody's sure how to feel about her. Never mind that she's lived among them for the last 10 years. In any case, she has bigger fish to fry. Like something living in the depths of the mountains. Is it good? Is it bad? Is there anything in between?

But there's hardly time to think about this, when there are demon spawn to kill. Before they are killed themselves. So an uneasy peace becomes the status quo between Thorn and her neighbors, and they learn to work together to try to defeat the evil forces (omg! I so want to add "of the Decepticons" here, lol!!). At least for now...

Like a good post-apocalyptic yarn? Then pick up Bloodring and Seraphs. And let me know what you think!

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+

25. Bloodring by Faith Hunter...

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Bloodring was bought and paid for. I am an IndieBound and Amazon affiliate, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

About the book:

In a novel filled with lush imagery and exhilarating action, Faith Hunter creates a near-future world caught in the throes of an ambiguous apocalypse-where a woman with everything to hide finds her true destiny revealed.

As humanity struggles with religious strife and seraphs and demons fight a never-ending battle, a new species has arisen. "Neomages" are human in appearance, but able to twist left-over creation energy to their will. A threat to both humans and seraphs, they are confined in luxurious Enclaves.

Thorn St. Croix is no ordinary neomage. Nearly driven insane by her powers, she is smuggled out of an Enclave and now lives among humans, channeling her gift of stone-magery into jewelry making. But when Thaddeus Bartholomew, a dangerously attractive policeman, tells her that her ex-husband has been kidnapped, Thorn risks revealing her identity to find him. And for Thorn, the punishment for revelation is death.

drey's thoughts:
I picked up Bloodring after reading Faith's Jane Yellowrock books, Skinwalker and Blood Cross. Apparently I can't get enough Faith... =)

I like Thorn. She is strong, powerful, and on the lam. Well, in hiding, anyway, since she's been in the same place for 10 years now... Then her ex-husband goes missing, and the cops come knocking on her door. To further complicate things (because she really really REALLY needs it complicated), Thorn finds a stash of gemstone that talks to her... And she gets herself involved in the fight between heaven and hell.

Thorn's world is stark and unyielding, and amazingly detailed. The residents of Mineral City have their own factions, from the conspiracy theorists to the unyielding religious. And not all of them are happy when Thorn comes out of hiding to save her--and their--home.

Heavenly deities, elemental magic, and a big bad scare-the-bejeebus-outta-you baddie provide the supernatural in this romp through Thorn's post-apocalyptic world. I don't know how I missed this when it came out a few years ago, but I'm glad I read it (and the following books, Host and Seraph too... because I never read just one!).

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Title: Bloodring (Rogue Mage #1)
Author: Faith Hunter
ISBN-13: 9780451462411
eBook
Publisher: Penguin, 2008
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

Challenges: 100+