Promises to Keep and Adam

I have two new book updates. The first is Promises to Keep by Charles de Lint.

Those familiar with de Lint's Newford books and stories know who Jilly Coppercorn is. In this novel the reader gets to look into Jilly's past, see her meet Sophie, Wendy, and Geordie, and start to become the person she is in the later books.

I'll be honest, this wasn't one of my favorites by him. It was very short, but that's not the reason. And that's also not to say that I didn't like the book at all. I did like it. But it just wasn't one of those that grip you and stick with you long after you've finished it. Good, yes. Classic/Favorite, no.

And I'm not entirely sure why some books do it for me and others don't. Take the Black Jewels series for example. Both that series and this book have magic, tough decisions, relationship building, tortured pasts. Yet I would choose the Black Jewels over this book. It could be the writing, but I've always thought de Lint is a wonderful writer. He's one of my favorite authors, after all. The story itself is interesting. Maybe it just should've been longer, had more at stake.

Still, if you're a de Lint fan your collection just won't be complete without it. So give it a try, at least.

The next book is Adam by Ted Dekker.

This is a book about a behavioral psychologist trying to catch a serial killer. When the killer known as Eve nearly kills him, the case becomes personal. Even more so when the main character's ex wife becomes involved.

This was a good Dekker story, but as with the de Lint book, it wasn't one of my favorites by the author. Maybe it's just that certain plots/stories intrigue us more than others. This novel was definitely suspenseful, and it even had a little romance thrown in.The writing was good, as it always is with Dekker. Still, I think it goes back to the storyline itself. Some do it for me better than others.

That's all for now. Next up is a YA trilogy, and I'm still on the first one. Shouldn't be too long, though.

Until then,

Jessica

Twilight's Dawn: The End of a Great Series

First off, if you've never read The Black Jewels series, go buy them now. There are nine books total, and the first three are available in an omnibus version. And please read them in order. The later books will mean so much more if you do.

Now, on to this book.

This is the last book in the series, and it consists of four novellas. Like Dreams Made Flesh, the only other book in the series to contain novellas, each story takes place at a different time within the *whole* story. And by *whole* story I mean the entire series.

The first one, Winsol Gifts, takes place after Tangled Webs and before The Shadow Queen. It's Daemon and Jaenelle's first Winsol together, and the first that Saetan wants to spend alone. Also, Daemon finds out that Lucivar has been visiting Tersa, Daemon's mother, for several years. Don't worry if you don't know any of these names. Start at the beginning of the series and you'll know.

The second story, Shades of Honor, takes place immediately after Winsol Gifts. It deals with Surreal and Rainier healing after what happened to them in Tangled Webs, as well as Lucivar dealing with Falonar, an Eyrien who thinks he would be a better ruler than Lucivar. Lucivar kicks some serious butt in this story, but I won't say more than that.

The next story, Family, takes place ten years later, which means its after The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady. Sylvia and her family are attacked by a man known only as No Face. He preys on small boys, but he made a mistake when he messed with a family close to the SaDiablos. I won't give away the ending, but it also involves some serious butt kicking.

The final story had me in tears before I even got through three pages. It's called The High Lord's Daughter, and it's the final story in the series. For those of you who don't want any spoilers, I won't even say what the inside cover of the book says about the story. Without saying any names, even that gave it away for me, as it would with anyone familiar with the series. I have mixed emotions about this last story, and it still makes me sad just thinking about it. It won't leave my mind, and even though there are so many other books in this series, this is the only one I can think about.

As a stand alone book, I would not recommend it to anyone, and that's only because these characters have been through so much and anyone new to the series just wouldn't understand everything if they started here. I think that's true for just about every series. As a book in the series I think it's awesome. You get to see some serious butt kicking, and different shades of the characters. You get to see what happens in their lives as the years pass.

I would recommend this series to anyone, especially since it's so different from regular fantasy series. It's so unlike the traditional epic fantasies that I'm hesitant to even put it in the same category. I think technically it's labeled Dark Fantasy, but even that doesn't even begin to adequately describe it. I have a huge desire to start over at the beginning and read through all the books again.

I know good reviews talk about what the books are about, not just summarizing them. So I'll say that this series is about family, about taking care of your loved ones, about doing the right thing, honor, tradition, power, friendship, raising children, relationships, duty, growing up, surviving traumatic experiences and healing from them. It's so many things wrapped into one amazing series set in a world that I want to return to again and again.

If I'm completely honest I wish that last story had never been written. I want this series to never end, and I'm so sad that it's over now. Technically the author could write more books that take place between Family and The High Lord's Daughter, or even between Shalador's Lady and Family. But I have a feeling she won't, and anything she wrote that took place after The High Lord's Daughter just wouldn't be the same.

So Anne Bishop, thank you so much for a series that I loved from the moment I read the opening scene. Thank you for bringing these wonderful characters to life and sharing them with the world. I'm still upset about that last story, but as a fellow writer I understand that sometimes you just have to end things. So I won't hold it against you, even though it still makes me sad.

I'll have more on the next book soon, though I know for a while nothing is going to compare to this. Until then,

Jessica

P.S. For those of you who want to read the books in order, here they are:

Daughter of the Blood
Heir to the Shadows
Queen of the Darkness
The Invisible Ring
Dreams Made Flesh
Tangled Webs
The Shadow Queen
Shalador's Lady
Twilight's Dawn

I read The Invisible Ring after Tangled Webs and before The Shadow Queen, and it really makes sense to read it there, even though the story takes place before Daughter of the Blood. If you want to be completely chronological, here's the order:

Weaver of Dreams (the first story in Dreams Made Flesh)
The opening scene of Daughter of the Blood
Zuulaman (the third story in Dreams Made Flesh)
Daughter of the Blood
Heir to the Shadows
The Prince of Ebon Rih (the second story in Dreams Made Flesh)
Queen of the Darkness
Kaeleer's Heart (the final story in Dreams Made Flesh)
Tangled Webs
Winsol Gifts (the first story in Twilight's Dawn)
Shades of Honor (the second story in Twilight's Dawn)
The Invisible Ring (technically this would be between Zuulaman and Daughter of the Blood, but it makes more sense to read it before The Shadow Queen, trust me)
The Shadow Queen
Shalador's Lady
Family (the third story in Twilight's Dawn)
The High Lord's Daughter (the final story in Twilight's Dawn)

There you have it. Enjoy.

Seventh Heaven

Another Alice Hoffman book.

This one takes place in 1959 and 1960. The main characters live in a small suburbia, where everyone has an idea of what life is supposed to be like. (Think of Edward Scissorhands, but with less pastels). Then everything is thrown off kilter with the arrival of Nora Silk, a divorced mother of two. The other people living on the street begin to become less satisfied with their lives, and wonder about things they normally never think about. Her lifestyle shows them that there are other ways to live, and many of them realize how shallow their own lives are, especially when they're living how they think they're supposed to, with no desires of their own.

I think this book did a good job of really showing the old cliche, "don't judge a book by its cover." Most people have a fear of the strange and different. That may not be the case so much anymore, but I think it still exists for many people. This novel shows that its okay for things to change. It might actually make things better.

Compared to Hoffman's other novels, this one wasn't anywhere near my favorites by her. But it's still good.
And as always, there's a touch of the supernatural.

More soon,

Jessica

The Bell at Sealey Head

So here's another McKillip book for you. She just continues to amaze me. I know she's apparently not really well known, which is sad because she's a wonderful writer. But I would love to be a writer like her. Her stories are interesting, her imagery and language are gorgeous, her characters are believable and human. There are only a couple books I've read by her that I was indifferent to. All of the others are either very good, or among my favorite books ever (for those going by a star rating, most of hers are 4 or 5 stars for me).

Here's a picture for you.

This particular book is about a little town called Sealey Head. For as long as anyone can remember, a bell has always sounded at sundown, but no one knows where it is or who rings it. Some believe it has something to do with Aislinn House, which has doors that sometime open to reveal a world of knights, crows, and ritual. There's also a romantic subplot that's quite enjoyable, as well as one character who is a writer (you get to read parts of her stories about the bell).

As I've said many times before, if you've never read anything by McKillip, you need to remedy that. This book is a good one to start on, as well as some of my other favorites, such as Alphabet of Thorn, Ombria in Shadow, Winter Rose, and Cygnet.

More good books soon!

Jessica

The Theatre Illuminata

This post will actually be about three books, but they're a trilogy, so it's ok. :)

The series is called The Theatre Illuminata and was written by Lisa Mantchev. And just so you know, they're young adult, but they're much more original than many other YA books I've read recently.

Here are some pictures.

I actually started the first book with no idea that the second two were already available. I was about halfway through, so I knew for sure that I would want to continue the series. The main character is Beatrice Shakespeare Smith (Bertie), and she grew up at the Theatre Illuminata, which is unlike any other theater because the characters from the plays are real, not actors. I'm not sure how else to describe it. Anyway, they can't leave the theater, and in the first book the major calamity is that Bertie may be forced to leave the only home she's ever known. She can stay as long as she finds some way to make herself indispensable. Helping her are her four constant companions, the fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream (Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom). Also helping is the pirate Nate from The Little Mermaid (a minor character in the play). Finally there's Ariel, an air spirit from The Tempest who longs for his freedom.

I don't want to delve too much into the plots of Perchance to Dream and So Silver Bright because I don't want to reveal anything that happens. I always hate that for myself, and I wouldn't want to do that to any other readers. I'll just say that the same characters are in all three books, and there's also a little love triangle going on between Bertie, Nate, and Ariel (okay, not so little the further along you get).

Another main plot theme is Bertie's longing to reunite with her father and mother. She's never met either of them, and strongly desires for them to be able to come together as a family.

Magic and secrets abound in this trilogy, as well as many comical moments, mostly provided by the four fairies. I literally laughed out loud at most of their dialogue, and some I added to my favorite quotes.

Even if you don't normally read YA, you should at least check it out. It's much better than a lot that's out there now, and if you have to you can think of it as a light, fun read.

I'll have more on my next book soon.

Jessica

Love, Lust, and Scene Writing

I've finished two books recently, one fiction and one non-fiction. The fiction book was called Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker.

This book is about a warrior named Toma who falls in love with one of his new charges, Lucine Cantemir. The problem is, he's under strict orders from his empress not to get involved with either her or her sister, and then later he finds out the empress has a potential suitor for Lucine. At the same time, a mysterious man named Vlad begins to show an interest in Lucine, and he and his strange group of followers seem to be hiding something. Far from being just a love story, this book is about the battle between good and evil, and between love and lust. Also, and I won't try to spoil it, but there are supernatural things involved. If you're a Dekker fan, or if this would be your first Ted Dekker book, I say check it out. You shouldn't be disappointed.


The other book I read was called Make a Scene.

This is a non-fiction book about, you guessed it, scene writing. And that's not in reference to script or screenwriting. By "scene" the author means the time a character is on the page doing something before a break (white space before the next paragraph, asteriks ***, or a new chapter). She breaks down all the different types of scenes, and also talks about beginnings, middles, and ends, in both the individual scene and in your book as a whole. I think it should turn out to be a very helpful book, especially when I start revising my own novels soon. If you're a writer, you should definitely check it out.

I'll have more on the next book soon.

Jessica

Medicine Road

The book I most recently finished is called Medicine Road.

This book was about Laurel and Bess Dillard, twin sisters who are on a music tour in the west. They are also two of the sisters in de Lint's novella Seven Wild Sisters. Another main character is Jim Changing Dog who, along with Alice Corn Hair, must find his true love within a hundred years or be forced to give up his "five-fingered form" (human form) and return to simply being a red dog. At the opening of the book he and Alice can change back and forth between both of their forms (her other one is a jackalope), and she has already found her true love. Jim still hasn't, and all that's left of their hundred years are a couple of weeks.

When Jim sees Bess he is immediately attracted to her and believe she is his true love. She falls for him too, but he still won't tell her the truth about himself, and time is running out. On top of that, Ramona, a snake woman, is eager to mess things up because Corina, the coyote woman who gave Jim and Alice the human forms in the first place, woke up the animal blood in one of Ramona's exes, and he left her after that. So Ramona is set on getting revenge against Corina, and to do that she decides to meddle in the love lives of Jim, Bess, Alice, and Thomas (Alice's husband).

Bettina, a character from de Lint's Forests of the Heart, also made a brief appearance, which I thought was neat. I love it when characters from different books interact with each other.

I thought this was a light, interesting story, though not one of my favorites by de Lint. Still, if you're a de Lint fan, or just think it sounds neat, why not give it a try?

More on my next book soon.

Jessica