Book Reviews
Carus & Mitch
by Tim Major
Review appeared in the June 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
Like the life and college, the novella Carus & Mitch will leave you with more questions than answers. But the question you’ll replay over and over in your mind, the question that will keep you up at night will be, “Oh Carus, what have you done?”
The Book
Fifteen-year-old Carus and seven-year-old Mitch have been barricaded in their house for most of their lives. Just before the world-wide collapse, their mother had moved them to their uncle’s house in the countryside of northern Britain, and it’s been their home ever since. But when their mother died, the responsibility of staying safe from outside dangers fell directly on them, and with crushing weight.
The Lost Girl
by Sangu Mandanna
Review appeared in the March 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
Should I fulfill my purpose, what I was created to do, even if I don’t want to? Do I have a soul, even though I was created as an Echo? Is it cool if I like these two dudes at the same time? These are the thought-provoking questions that embody the Frankenstein-inspired tale of The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna.
The Book
Our first-person narrator and protagonist, sixteen-year-old Eva, is an Echo, living near present-day London. Eva was stitched together by the Weavers, scientists in London who can create a copy, or Echo, of any living human being. She was created for the sole purpose of filling a void in the lives of a family in India. Eva’s entire life consists of learning about Amarra, the girl she was created to become, should Amarra ever die.
Waking Up Naked in Strange Places
by Julie McGalliard
Review appeared in the April 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
When you’re living in a teen novel, everything is bad. Alcohol? Bad. Mean girls at school? Bad. Cults? Bad. Being a werewolf without even knowing it? Bad, bad, bad.
The Book
Self-Abnegation, a small, red-headed girl, has always lived at New Harmony, a cult in Louisiana. Subjected to regular beatings, solitary confinement, and having her head shaved, at 15, Abnegation decides it’s time to leave.
Knight of Flame
by Scott Eder
Review appeared in the May 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
If Hollywood had asked comic book giant Mike Mignola to write an action movie in the 80’s, Knight of Flame would be that movie.
The Book
Develor Quinteele needs an anger management class. Or seven. But when you draw your power from fire, holding your temper isn’t exactly what you’re known for. Chill out? Impossible for Dev, or he would literally die. All the rage and fire keeps this Ron Perlman-esque man alive. The Knights Elementalis took him in centuries ago and helped him wield his power, but it soon becomes clear that Dev cannot control the fire within.
Loose Changeling
by A.G. Stewart
Review appeared in the August 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
When doorways between the mortal world and the Fae world begin popping up unpredictably, the responsibility lands on Nicole to figure out how to close them, and quick.
The Book
Nicole is a strong-willed 32-year-old woman living in Portland with a lazy husband and a high-paying but dead-end job. Life had been fairly normal for Nicole until she caught her husband, Owen, cheating on her with another woman, and she turned the woman into a mouse.
Did Anne Rice Hire a Ghostwriter?
Why passages in The Tale of the Body Thief just don't add up.
Ugh I hate when I accidentally slip out of my body and go into a vampire's body. But Lestat lets a human, James, do just that in The Tale of the Body Thief cause he's bored being the most powerful vampire. As many rappers remind us, it sure gets lonely at the top.
Speak: The Book that Bridges Science Fiction and Literary Fiction
Much like the format in the book Cloud Atlas, Speak spans many time periods and characters, weaving a plot with the central theme of human connection and how artificial intelligence (AI) fits into our communication, connections, and ultimately, our lives.
Carniepunk
an anthology by Gallery Books
Review appeared in the November 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine
Red Hot Steel
by Alex P. Berg
Review appeared in the September 2015 issue of Urban Fantasy Magazine