An Abundance of Books: October 2010

In My Mailbox (6) - I must show off The Kid and then we'll talk books

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. The goal of IMM is to bring new books to bloggers' attention and to encourage interaction between blogs.

Official rules can be found here.

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a great day! Since Sunday is a weekd

ay in Dubai, we did out trick-or-treating on Thursday (our virtual Friday). I just had to share a picture of The Kid (he and our friend's little girl had matching Chinese outfits).

He was a little cranky and the other kids were really loud, so we didn't trick-or-treat for long.

So, enough of that, onto the books...

IT FINALLY CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!

My pre-order of Nightshade had been held up, but it's finally here! And it's shimmery! Eeeee!! Is it unfair to say that I'm expecting big things?

Nightshade, Nightshade series book #1 by Andrea Cremer

Goodreads Summery:

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

I had no idea what this next book was about and it was shrink wrapped so I couldn't read the inside flap. The bookstore had the US and UK covers (I don't know which is which), so I picked the cover I liked best. It's Cornelia Funke, you can't really go wrong with her.

Reckless, Reckless series book #1 by Cornelia Funke

Summary from inside jacket flap:

Through a mirror...
is a dangerous world.
For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed its secrets and treasures.
Not any more.
His younger brother has followed him.
Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and cause chaos to rule forever...
Unless Jacob can ind a way to save them.
You thought you knew about fairy tales? Think again.

I loved Beastly so I grabbed this one when I saw it on display.

A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn

Summary from back of book:

Talia Fell under a spell...
Jack broke the curse.
I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...
I was looking forward to a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it,
was so not what I had in mind.
I awakened in the same place but in another time- to a stranger's soft kiss.
I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.
Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels... The good news: My parents will freak!
Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old.
Can a kiss transcend all - even time?

I am quite possibly the only person who hasn't started reading the Mortal Instruments series. And I will, I promise, but I decided to start with the prequel series, The Infernal Devices.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Summary from back of book:

Magic is dangerous -
But love is more dangerous still

When sixteen-year -old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by - and torn between - two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

I also picked up a manga while I was out. I had read Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol. 1 and was a bit confused but intrigued enough to pick up Vol. 2.

Alice in the Country of Hearts, Vol. 2 by Qin Rose and Soumei Hoshino.

As Alice grows accustomed to life in Wonderland, she begins to understand the inner workings of this mysterious world. Everyone desires to get close to her, and Alice's life lights up with little moments of happiness. But she soon discovers the truth behind all the bliss... and wasted lives. And how will Alice react when the greatest secret is revealed by Julius, the one and only Clock Repairer?!

I hope everyone got something this week that they enjoy!

Life Is Good Award

Thank you so much to Suzy Tuner for the Life Is Good Award. Suzy is a freelance writer and author, you can find her website here or her personal blog (mainly about writing and is very interesting) can be found here.

There's actually quit a lot of thinking involved with this award:

Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award. (Thank you Suzy!!)
2. Answer the 10 survey questions.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked to let them know about the award.

Ok, so onto the questions:

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

How about pseudo anonymously? I think knowing some of the personal things about a blogger gives the reader a better/closer/fun connection to the blogger. Besides that, the book review blog world is pretty friendly and social. I had started out wanting to be anonymous, but my life (especially my job) affects how I view books. I think I've found a happy middle ground.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side:

This is not my finest moment: When we first moved to Kuwait (three weeks after we got married) there were some mixups with my residency paperwork that prevented me from opening a bank account right away. I can't remember what exactly happened next, it's lost to a red haze of anger, but I ended up being told to got to different branches of two different banks to get the check cashed. I'm bouncing around from bank to bank (many, many times over three weeks), we're running low on money because my salary is tied up in a WORTHLESS PIECE OF PAPER (whew, sorry). The last branch was a short driving distance from our apartment. After being turned away ONCE AGAIN, I was so mad that I stomped (not walked) home. It took 45 minutes, it was 120 degrees out, I was wearing jeans, and I stepped on a piece of glass that went through my flipflop and into my foot. I was so gross and sweaty and angry when I got home... and the foot looked bad too. Yes, I was foolish, but I still want to stomp around every time I think of it. The next day I did an odd limping stomp into the business office and demanded that they get somebody, anybody, to open up a bank account for me SO I COULD GET MY MONEY! I got my account the next day. One of our friends from Kuwait also live here in Dubai with us, and every time she sees me start to get frustrated, she reminds me of this story.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?
Right now The Kid has a terrible cold, so I see somebody who looks very tired.

4. What is your favourite summer cold drink?
Sweet tea or fresh lemonade with mint, it's so yummy!

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
Normally I read, or my friend and I walk to the Thai spa and get one hour foot massages that are crazy good and cheap. It's wonderful.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
I would really like to finish my Chinese Language and Literature degree, I had to put it on hold when I moved to Kuwait. I would also like a PhD in Literature, but that probably won't happen. Oh! And I always wanted to help colonize the moon, but I have terrible eyesight so I wouldn't be a good candidate. Pooh.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the shy person, or always ditching?
I was a nerd, a soccer player, an over achiever when I was interested, really into volunteering, and not shy at all. I was also known for my insane knowledge of worthless trivia, which probably goes back to the nerd part. :)

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see?
Gosh, I don't know. If I wanted to think of something nice but still very emotional, it would have to be when my son was born. I was having a c-section and my husband had his iPhone with him (I don't know how he got it in), but he was IMing and Tweeting to family members and friends. Suddenly a good friend we hadn't heard from for awhile happened to pop on. I was excited about that, and Patrick is cracking jokes with everyone over the phone, I was starting to laugh so hard my doctor leaned over and informed me now was not the time to laugh. then the pulled the baby out, it was great. The whole thing was just so fun and amusing, it still makes me laugh.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I'm sharing a lot right now, so I guess it's not hard. :)

10. If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
I have never liked talking on the phone, I would definitely choose reading. Don't get me wrong, I like socializing, I just can't chat on the phone, I go blank. I'm much better in writing or face to face.

Now, to pass this on to 15 FANTASTIC bloggers:

Book Review - The Iron Duke (The Iron Seas, book 1) by Meljean Brook

Title: The Iron Duke

Author: Meljean Brook

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Publication Date: October 5, 2010

Format: Kindle

Genre: Romance, Steampunk

Other Books in the series: "Here There Be Monsters" in Burning Up anthology, Heart of Steel (November 2011)

Summary:

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.

But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

Review:

First of all, The Horde is the Mongolian Horde, not space aliens. I knew it wasn't supposed to be space aliens, but that's what I kept picturing until it was finally explained. I couldn't figure out what Mina was supposed to look like, I kept imagining something like half human and half Klingon. I imagined wrong. She's half Caucasian and half Mongolian.

In this alternate history, the Mongolians had developed advanced technology, including nanoagents. Instead of riding out and conquering Asia, they contaminated the European sugar supplies with these nanoagents. After several years they activated the heretofore harmless technology, effectively controlling entire populations. Many countries and their rulers relocated to North and South America, leaving the infected abandoned in Europe and England. The Horde used Europe as farmland and England as the center of the Khan's power in Europe.

The Horde made drastic and violating alterations to workers, taking away legs and adding jackhammers for miners, replacing seamstress' hands with needles, whatever made for more efficient workers (more like slaves), The Horde did. Marriage was abolished and children were raised in state run creches. The King was controlled through his nanoagents as was the rest of his population. The Horde suppressed extreme emotion to prevent uprisings and have placid workers. Everyone infected could be totally controlled through The Horde's radio signal. British aristocrats were required to work, but allowed to marry and raise their own children and spared any "alterations".

Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth's mother was raped by one of The Horde during a Frenzy. As the daughter of a lord, she was raised by her family but still suffered under their control. That all changed when Rhys Trahaearn took out The Horde's signal tower, ending 200 years of Horde occupation and control. Seven years later Mina, like the rest of the country, has learned to handle emotions, but unlike most, she deals with daily verbal and physical attacks from strangers. Being half Horde, she is a symbol of all the British despise. They don't care that her mother was forced by a one of the Horde, they simply see the enemy. This is the very real stumbling block to any relationship Mina could have. Her attraction to Rhys, now called the Iron Duke, is dangerous for her and her family.

For his part, Rhys doesn't understand this. He lived in a Creche until he was sold into slavery as a child, grew up in a brothel, and at the age of 16 was sold to a mining company. He fought for freedom and control of his life, eventually becoming captain of a pirate ship. His life taught him to be blunt, fight for what he wanted, and protect it fiercely once he had it. There are certain things that happen in the story that would normally make you hate the hero, but he is lacking the social moorings that readers and the lucky few in The Iron Seas world have. His actions and confusion are understandable, as is his constant "my way" attitude.

This story had everything: pirates, cyborgs, blimps, explosions, romance, dashing characters, globe spanning bad guys, and even zombies! The world building was absolutely fantastic, so creative and detailed, the alternate history and technology explained clearly (except for who The Horde were). Mina was a strong and sympathetic character, by the end of the story I was hoping that she would get an HEA (I wasn't quite sure how Brook was going to pull it off, but she did). Rhys was handsome and capable but did not know how to interact with people who weren't under his command or not trying to kill him. He was also something of an oddity, and like Mina, and he was protective of himself in that regard.

I also found myself emotionally involved in the story, always a good sign. I wanted to protect Mina, smack Rhys until he just spit it out, strangle the bounders (honestly, I hope those smug johnny-come-lately's get their butts kicked by the end of the series), horrified on behalf of the mutilated workers, and maybe a little in love with Scarsdale. Oh! And I hope that one character didn't get eaten. I liked him.

You can read an excerpt of The Iron Duke here and an excerpt from the short story Here There Be Monsters here.

Verdict:

This was a well thought out and written story that whisked me away at page one. The characters were fantastic, likable, sympathetic and the world was gritty, disturbing, and rich in detail. In short, this book is chock full of awesome! This is a series that I will definitely be stalking (watch out Meljean, I'm going to be searching your blog for snippets, teasers, any info on The Iron Seas). It gets 6 stars people, I think you need to buy this one.

Related Reviews:

Supernatural Snark review

Parajunkee's View review

ABout Happy Books review

All Things Urban Fantasy review

Tots to Teens & in beTween - Haloween-ified Fairytales

Title: Bone Soup

Author: Cambria Evans
Illustrator: Cambria Evans
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: September 8, 2008
Format: Hardback, 32 pages
Genre: Children'sBooks, Picture Books, Halloween, Fractured Fairytales

Goodreads Summary:
Known across the land for his infamous appetite, Finnigin is never seen without his eating stool, his eating spoon, and his gigantic eating mouth. When Finnigin finds himself in a new town on Halloween, he hopes to join a great feast with the creatures who live there. But not a body or soul will share any of their food with the ever-famished Finnigin. So what's a hungry skeleton to do? Armed only with his wits and a special ingredient, will Finnigin be able to stir up a cauldron's worth of Halloween magic?
Review:
Most children know the story "Stone Soup", so I always tell my students that the author took "Stone Soup" and Halloween-ized it, giving us Bone Soup. Kids generally like the premise, the great monsters, the icky monster food, and the luminous illustrations.

Finnigin is known far and wide as "The Eater", and a penniless one at that. One Halloween he's traveling in a lovely barren land looking for a Halloween Feast. A witch on her broomstick sees him and races home to warn the other monsters in the village that "The Eater" is coming. All of the townscreatures (including a family of the cutest zombies ever) stash their food and lock the doors.

Poor Finnigan comes through town lookingfor a feast and finds nothing. He goes from door to door asking if anyone can spare "some wormy cheese and bread for a simple traveler" but he is rudely turned away every time. Luckily he's used to living by his wits, since he has no house to haunt, and he fills the town's cauldron with water and sets it to boiling. He makes a production of dropping a "magic" bone into the water and sings a song about Bone Soup.

The townscreatures are drawn by his singing and one by one are tricked into providing ingrediants for the soup. Kids love the stewed eyeballs, bats wings, frog legs, toenail clippings, and more. Finnigin then tells the assembled monsters that Bone Soup is great, but best shared. Everyone enjoys a Halloween feast of Bone Soup and the kids enjoy the picture of Finnigin about to eat an eyeball.

Verdict:
The illustrations are simple but fun and the colors used really make it seem like things are glowing. I also love all of the creature's glowing eyes as they stare out of dark windows to see what Finnigin will do next. It's a fun seasonal story and a good one to pick up from the library and share with your family. I give it 4 out of 6 stars, a great Halloween read but you don't need to buy it.

Title: Cinderella Skeleton

Author: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrator: David Catrow
Publisher: Silver Whistle
Publication Date: October 1, 2000
Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
Genre: Children's Books, Picture Books, Halloween, Fractured Fairytales

Goodreads Summary:

This ghoulish gal will steal your heart--just like she stole Prince Charnel's!
Poor Cinderella Skeleton! Her evil stepsisters treat her with scorn and work her from dawn till dusk. But when Prince Charnel hosts his famous Halloween Ball, Cindy finally gets her chance to shine. With the help of a good witch, Cinderella Skeleton is transformed into the belle of the ball and steals the prince's heart. Then just as the sun peeks over the horizon, she must dash away! Will Prince Charnel ever find his true love again?
Master storyteller Robert D. San Souci and award-winning illustrator David Catrow have dreamed up a hilarious fractured fairy tale about the most dreadful darling you've ever seen.

Review:
This is the story, told in verse, of Cinderella Skeleton, her cruel stepfamily (Stepmother Skreech and stepsisters Gristlene and Bony-Jane), and how her decision to take action changed her life.

Cinderella Skeleton "everything a ghoul should be", dank hair, yellow nails, green teeth - she was the foulest in the land. She spent all night slaving away, arranging dead flowers, hanging up cobwebs, feeding the bats, so much work so little time. When she was not allowed to attend Prince Charnel's "frightfully famous Halloween Ball", Cinderella decided to take action. She went to the kind forest witch who tricks her out in a ball gown of lace, nightmares (part horse, part dragon) to pull the funeral wagon, footmen and a driver to speed her on her way with a final warning:

Before you go,

There's one important thing to know:

You must return before the morning.

If you fail to heed my warning,

Your joy will fade at the

break of day.

Cinderella made it safely to the ball, caused a stir, and she and Prince Charnel fell madly in love. In fact, she had such a wonderful time that she missed two things: Her family recognized and the sun was rising. In her mad dash to be home before the spell fades, Cinderella loses her foot. Prince Charnel wanders the country looking for the foot's owner (the other ghouls were happy to break off their feet for the test). He finally makes it to Cinderella Skeleton's house, finds his love, ties her foot back on, and they live happily ever after.

Cinderella Skeleton is a great idea, with great pictures, but the verse and vocabulary make it seem a little long. My students enjoy it, but I either have to explain loads of words (much harder when working with a group) or altering the words as you go along. I normally do both, I explain a few words that I think they'll like and that I can explain clearly (and fairly quickly) and then alter other words to those the kids know. (My classes tend to be half native English speakers and half for whom it's their second language - so there's lots to explain.) I think defining certain words will be a lot easier with a family sized group. The pictures are also far more enjoyable when you can spend more time looking at them - lots of fun details.

Verdict:
Great illustrations and creative concept bring new life to the old Cinderella story - even the boys and older kids like it. (I mean middle or high school when I say "older kids".) I'll give it 3 out of 6 stars - it's a fun Halloween read, I recommend getting it from the library, especially since the story seems to lag during Prince Charnel's hunt for his "promised princess bride".

Related Reviews:
Young Adult Literature Review also includes reviews of two other Halloween books that my students enjoy.
Unravelling Storytelling review

Cover Love - The Monster Mash!

I haven't read a lot of monster mashup books, but I think they're a clever idea and I generally love the covers! At first I was going to limit myself to only classic novel monster mashups, but I had to throw in two historical monster mashups as well. I could have listed tons of covers, but I tried to keep myself in check. :)

There are of course the ubiquitous Jane Austin monster mashups. Seriously people, there were LOADS of these out there. I controlled myself and just picked these. Thanks to Napoleon, Egypt was a popular subject during the Regency era (as well as Victorian period), so I like it's addition in Mansfield Park and Mummies (though I don't think the ladies are wearing Regency styles).

Yes, more Austin, but I like the inclusion of vampires. I love the cover for Android Karenina, I wonder if the addition of steampunk makes the novel easier to read. I suffered through the original in college and I don't think androids will make me pick it up again. I think the cover for Little Women and Werewolves seems much more sinister with the twee girls and blood splatters. (Hopefully Amy gets eaten in this version.) Now, I have some issues with Little Vampire Women. The cover seems crowded, one of the girls is just a floating head over the piano, and no way would the sisters ever be so grossly messy. Just because they're vampires doesn't mean they can't tidy up. Marmee would never allow her daughters, or every surface in the house, to be covered in blood. Cool idea (maybe Amy gets staked in this version) but I can't get past the cover.

They could have done a lot with Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim, but I like the old style cover. It looks like one of those ancient Puffin Classics that you pick up at a used bookstore. The Undead World of Oz is an interesting cover. Apparently Dorothy and the Gang need to get the Wizard to lift the Wicked Witch of the West's spell that brings the dead back to life. However, the cover makes it look like Dorothy is trapped between of a crowd of zombie munchkins and zombie Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion (I'm assuming Toto has already been eaten). I end with the historical mashups. I'll probably never read them, but they certainly look cool.

In My Mailbox (5) - Memory Lane & It Finally Came!

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. The goal of IMM is to bring new books to bloggers' attention and to encourage interaction between blogs.

Official rules can be found here.

Yeah, sure, I got some good stuff this week. But non of that, NONE of that compares to the crowning glory of my bookshelf!

The DC Super Heroes Super Healthy Cook Book!! I loved this thing as a kid: Green Lantern's Open-Faced Ugly-Face Sandwiches, Flash's Banana Smoothie, Wonder Woman's Natural Soda Pop, Superman's Frozen Fortress Pops! Good times, people, good times.

I found out that a good friend (an uber comic book geek) and his girlfriend were expecting a baby. Of course they needed this cookbook. Surely I could find a used copy. What I found was that this thing is going for $60-$80 on the used book market. I love this book, it's a part of my childhood, it is not worth $60-$80. Fortunately I found two used copies for $10. This got me thinking, where exactly was my cookbook? My mom and sister looked, swore they hadn't gotten rid of it, but it couldn't be found. So I bought the second copy for my 18 month old (just in case).

Happiness!

Oh yea, and the other stuff I was excited about before the cookbook came... :)

Firelight (Firelight #1) by Sophie Jordan

It's even prettier in person! Eeeee! (That's my excited/happy noise.)

Goodreads Summary:

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

This cover is even better in person! So many little details that I'd missed. And since I'm so enamored with the cover, I'm including a link to the Supernatural Snark Cover Critique.

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Summary from back of book:

A devastating desease has struck everyone over the age of sixteen. Those who didn't die from it have turned into decomposing, brainless creatures that survive by feeding on anything that's still alive - including children. Young survivors have barricaded themselves in supermarkets and other buildings, fighting off attacks from the grown-ups, who travel in packs like hungry dogs.
The group of kids from a store called Waitrose includes fearless fighter, clever engineers, and wise leaders. They are tight-knit and determined to survive, but they are running out of food, and their scavenger hunts are growing more and more dangerous. Marauding
grown-ups are picking them off one by one.
Before long, the Waitrose kids are offered a safe haven in Buckingham Palace. they make their way to it, crossing London on a perilous journey that will test them in harrowing ways. but their fight to stay alive is far from over - the threat from within the palace is as real as the one outside it.

While I like the Alex Rider series better than Higson's Young James Bond series, this one sounded too cool to pass up. Yes, it does sound like Gone with zombies, but I couldn't resist! (Plus, Waitrose is one of my favorite grocery stores in Dubai.)

Instructions by Neil Gaiman & Illustrated by Charles Vess

Summary from back of book:

Trust dreams.
Trust your heart.
And trust your story.
a renowned storyteller whose words have transported readers to magical realms and acclaimed illustrator of lushly imagined fairy-tale landscapes guide a traveler safely through lands unknown and yet strangely familiar... and home again.

I posted a video of Gaiman reading Instructions that I had originally found at Jazz's About Books Blog.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Visiting Not-Really-Southern Vamp Chick today!

The wonderful Amanda from Not-Really-Southern Vamp Chick is having a Halloween Countdown at her blog. She's got everything from book reviews to Halloween themed items. She also hosts the weekly Win on Wednesday, a huge list of contests going on around the blogsphere.

I'm over there today with a review of Something From The Nightside, book 1 of The Nightside series by Simon R. Green. I've enjoyed this series for awhile now, despite some imperfections.

Go check it out, right now! :)

Book Review - Bayou Moon (The Edge book 2) by Ilona Andrews

Title: Bayou Moon, The Edge book 2

Author: Ilona Andrews

Publisher: ACE

Publication Date: September 28, 2010

Format: Kindle

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Rustic Fantasy (according to Gordon Andrews)

Goodreads Summary:

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life. William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed ... and survive.

Review:

William Wolf is a changeling - he can change between his human form and a wolf form. But there's more to being a changeling than that. It affects the way he thinks, acts, and perceives the world around him - it's like the human and wolf mentalities are mixed together. In Adrianglia, the Weird country he's from, changelings are either killed are given to the state run Hawk's Academy. There they are raised in a violent, ruthless, and methodical system aimed at creating perfect killing machines. William grew up in a bare white room, not toys, no affection. Once he "graduated" from Hawk's he joined the Andrianglia military - he really didn't have a choice. He befriended a lord named Declan (from The Edge, The Edge book 1). A few years later William refused to follow an order and he was sentenced to death. The military probably would have chosen a different sentence for a human, but changelings aren't viewed as actual people. Declan's crazy uncle adopted William, making him a lord and saving his life. Unfortunately, the crazy uncle also wanted William to kill Declan. The rest of that particular story is covered in The Edge, but it helps to know how life has shaped William.

William expects no good things for himself. He expects no friends (even though Declan still considers him a friend), no love, no family. He is a changeling, something reviled and killed on site in other Weird countries. He has retired to the Edge, the boundary between the magical world of the Weird and the un-magical world of the Broken (our world). He holds a construction job in the Broken, buying beer, comic books, and action figures then going home to his quiet cabin in the woods of the Edge. He is approached by andrianglia's spy master to help them prevent their enemy, the country of Louisiana, from getting hold of a powerful weapon that's somewhere in the broken. They don't know what the weapon is, but they know that a Luisiana agent named Spider is after it. In Luisiana they kill changelings at birth, and William has hunted Spider since he killed eight changeling children (students from Hawks) while they were on a training exercise.

William takes the job and his path crosses with Cerise Mar. Cerise's parents have been kidnapped by Spider. She doesn't know why Louisiana has sent him after her parents, but she has to rescue them. In her part of the Edge, life is even more hard-scrabble and a tough reputation equals safety. In order to save their image (and their lives), Cerise must risk the rest of her family to save her missing parents. Their paths cross, they need each other to survive the trip to The Mire (Cerise's part of the Edge), but neither know that their problems are one and the same.

I liked Bayou Moon so much more than The Edge. The world was grittier, the bad guys were better and badder, the danger was more... dangerous, and the entire cast of characters were just great. Andrews seemed like she was still figuring things out in The Edge, but she hit her stride in Bayou Moon. I sympathized with Rose and the boys, but never really warmed up to Declan (Andrews talks a bit about this in the last paragraph of this post). William, however, was simply adorable. Well, yes, he was also very deadly, but he would be so lonely, or terrified of being turned out by Cerise, then to suddenly be so delightfully happy... It's hard to explain, but the following interaction was one of my favorite parts of the book:

William stood on the rail. The damn thing was two inches wide. He padded along it like it was solid ground and made some shooing motions at Kaldar's back.
She tried to ignore him. "I never do anything rash."
William mouthed, "Bullshit."
"She saw you leave with the blueblood."
Cerise raised her eyebrows. "I had myself a nice long cry and then I fell asleep in the chair. Did you expect to find me on the floor, making out with him half -naked?"
William nodded several times, a big grin painted on his face.
"I wouldn't put it past you, " Kaldar said. "Or him. Who knows what the hell he might do?"
William made a cutting motion across his throat.
"He might kill you if you're not careful," she told him.
"Who, Will? We're the best of friends."
William rolled his eyes.

While other heroes tend to be all about looking unaffected and cool, William has no problem showing Cerise how the prospect of making out with her would delight him. :)

William just seemed like a more fully realized character. He had deep fears, capacity for great love and joy,and his struggle between what was human and what he wanted showed him as imperfect but trying to do what's right. I also liked that Andrews went into more detail about the difference between a changeling and a human. As I stated earlier, being a changeling was like having your human and animal instincts and understandings mixed, but the animal side tended to be a bit stronger. William understood certain parts of human society or tendencies, but he didn't "get it". It's like being fluent in a foreign language but not always understanding the nuances of the language.

Cerise was a kick butt heroine who could totally hold her own. What helped to round her out was that she didn't want the responsibilities that had been heaped upon her, but she did what had to be done to protect and support her family. However, she does take a little me time to feel sorry for herself, just like any normal person would do. I'll admit that I didn't get as attached to Cerise as I did William, but I thought she was a good match for him.

I enjoyed the supporting characters, Spider was a great bad guy, but I also enjoyed Lagar. His family was in a long running feud with Cerise's and he played a part in her parent's kidnapping. The sad thing was, if they had all been strong enough to see past the feud, including Lagar himself, things might have ended much differently. Lagar and Cerise could have loved each other, and the loss of that potential was just one more tragedy in a string of tragedies that Cerise and her family had to endure. Well, maybe "tragedy" is a bit strong, but I thought this aspect of the story was bitter sweet and liked that it was included.

The humor that I've come to expect, and appreciate, from the Kate Daniels series has finally made an appearance in The Edge series with Bayou Moon. Yes, everyone we meet is very dangerous, but also funny. Cerise calls William "Lord Leather Pants" and he calls her "The Hobo Queen". The good guys and the bad guys are witty and darkly funny; there was much chuckling from my end of the couch.

And the Bayou Moon cover was so much better than The Edge cover. I know authors don't have a lot of control over covers, but the first book had a cheese-tastic cover.

A tiny con or two...

Lagar's mother. She was like this awful mother who brought about her sons' destruction, but nothing was really done with her. It was an odd flash in the pan type of element. It struck me as awkward when I read her scene and that feeling has stuck with me.

It seemed that there were at least 3 places that the story could have ended. I could feel things wrapping up, only to find the story kept going. It made me impatient for the Happily Ever After. I don't think Andrews used filler, what was in the book supported the story, I was just really ready for the end when it came.

Verdict:

I was very excited about this book because I had liked the character of William so much. Again, William was adorable and the characters, I thought, were well rounded and quirky. I give it 4 stars (despite my impatience for the story to get to the HEA) and I will buy the next book in the series because of Bayou Moon.