The Drowned ~ Laini Taylor and Jim Di Bartolo

Theophile has been in the asylum five years when he is compelled by the unseen forces That work on him to escape.

He makes his way home to the haunted Breton coast of France, where he follows the tatters of his memory back to the ungodly event he witnessed as a child, an event that destroyed his family and cast an unholy pall on his entire town.

A pawn in the grip of a loved one he has long believed dead, Theophile becomes entangled  in not one story of supernatural vengeance, but two.

A village of drowned witches beneath the ocean’s waves, a secret and deadly cabal of priests, a ritual of murder by baptism, a furious attendance of crows and a treasure locked in a sacred reliquary.

Welcome to The Drowned.

When asked about the story of The Drowned in a Comic Readers interview, Laini Taylor said: “The Drowned is a mysterious tale in which two separate supernatural revenge tales intertwine. Because it is a story in which events unfold… and unfold… and unfold… to tell much of what “it’s about” would spoil the carefully orchestrated pacing of revelations in the book.”

And that is definitely true, so I’m not going to say much else about the story aside from what the synopsis above – taken from the book itself – reveals, and that it took some very interesting turns that kept me engaged.

Laini Taylor, the author of the YA Dreamdark series, conveys so much atmosphere with her carefully chosen words and imagery. That was the very first thing I noticed about this graphic novel. As the synopsis suggests, we first meet Theophile in the asylum; he’s wrapped in a straitjacket, contemplating his mind, and his lack of total control over it. I suppose there are many ways this internal monologue could have gone, but under Laini Taylor’s hand it sounds something like this…

My memory is like an apothecary chest…

…And I am not the apothecary.

What I mean is, I’m not the one responsible for locking and unlocking all those tiny drawers where my memories lay wrapped in brittle tissue. And though I sometimes sense the presence and mercurial will of an apothecary, now opening this drawer, now that, I cannot fathom who it is whose fingers work those locks inside my mind.

Some drawers are rarely locked. The woman with the birds, a church ablaze, the shining sickle of moon I could swear I drew down from the sky and put into my pocket. But the key, golden and rare, it is different. It is revealed to me but seldom…

See what I mean? Her words are so visual. Add their imagery to the illustrations and…A fantastic combination.

The illustrations, all black and white, also expertly conveyed the mood and tone of the story.  And when I say expertly, I mean that some of the expressions on the characters faces gave me the chills, amped up a sense of foreboding, like they knew something awful the reader didn’t. And the fight scenes…I liked those. The panels were laid out nicely, showing the flow of movement well, and it was violence without gore.

This graphic novel was hard to get my hands on, and it’s now temporarily out of stock on Amazon and the like, but I’m glad I found it. If you want, you can check out the first five pages of The Drowned here. This was a great start to the RIP IV challenge.

Beguiled ~ Maureen Child

Maureen Child’s sexy, feisty heroine, Maggie Donovan, a descendant of Otherworldly Faeries, returns to face her greatest challenge—a certain ex-queen who has not been destroyed and wants her crown back. When Maggie’s niece is kidnapped by Queen Mab, Maggie must overcome her mistrust of her dashing Fae Warrior lover, Culhane, and unite the Fae Warriors to save the girl and defeat the rebel queen once and for all—or lose everything.

I may have mentioned this in my review for Bedeviled, the first book in the Queen of the Otherworld series, but that guy on the cover? Hot. Someone hand me a fan. Or an air conditioner. (Sorry. I had to get that out there. And now that that’s out of the way, on to the nitty-gritty.)

Beguiled picks up pretty soon after the events in Bedeviled. Maggie is still resistant to her role as Queen, Culhane is as adamant as ever that she will do as she’s told, Nora and Quinn are still hot and heavy, Elaine (bless her!) still loves Supernatural and Jensen Ackles, and Bezel is still the best grouchy pixie I’ve ever read. The dynamics haven’t shifted too much in this book, but it’s a whole lot of fun, and I enjoyed all of the bickering over baked goods.

The plot arc advanced in this book as Maggie more completely understood how oppressed the men in Otherworld had been, but she also sees the importance of holding the line of equality, making sure that the balance doesn’t tip too far in the other direction. New problems arise for her in the form of her “GrandFae” – the fairy responsible for her Fae bloodline – and the return of Mab, the Queen she deposed in a pretty awesome cat fight. Plus, there’s the trust issues she continues to have with Culhane, who remains as arrogant, stubborn, and brooding as ever.

These books, as I said before, are just plain fun. I’ll definitely be reading the next one. (Ah, there will be a next one, right? Ms.Child? Oh, and while I’ve – maybe?- got your ear…No one is cuter than Jensen Ackles. Not even a Fae-warrior-in-training. )

Thorn Queen ~ Richelle Mead

Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she’s also become queen of the Thorn Land. It’s hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one—except Eugenie—seems willing to find out why.

Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren’t making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty—even if it means facing the darkest—and deadliest—side of her nature. . .

I thought Storm Born was a very promising start to Mead’s Dark Swan series. It introduced characters that you wanted to follow, a world that you wanted to explore further, and generally left you wanting more. I got a whole lot and more out of Thorn Queen.

Since spoiling the story is out of the question, all I can say is that I was hardly prepared for events that transpired in this book. I had one of those moments where, before you turn the page, you stop and say, “No. That’s not going to happen.” But it did. And it made me uncomfortable, made the story dig deeper, and gave me an ending that I could most definitely appreciate.

One of my main issues with the first book was the love triangle. For one, it seems like there are triangles popping up everywhere and they’re becoming square, you know? Plus, I fell for one guy in particular, and was worried. So, going in to Thorn Queen I wondered how it was going to be handled. I wouldn’t say that it is necessarily resolved, but I wasn’t at all aggravated by how it played out. That’s a plus.

All in all, I was entertained by Thorn Queen and can’t wait for the next one.

Percy Parker Giveaway Winner!

Random.org did it’s thing and the winner of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is…

Beth C

Congrats, Beth! I’ll be emailing you soon for your address. I hope you love the book!

And I’d like to thank everyone else who stopped by and left a comment. I enjoyed reading about your favorite myths.

And, last but certainly not least, thanks, Leanna, for that wonderful guest post. Can’t wait for more of Percy!

R.I.P. IV

So, it’s almost here, my favorite time of year: Autumn. And with it my favorite holiday, Halloween. And, of course, one of my favorite reading challenges: R.I.P

Hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, the R.I.P challenge is a celebration of all things ghoulish and menacing, chilling and otherworldly.

It’s hard to believe, but this is the fourth R.I.P challenge, and the third that I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in.

So, I’m taking up Peril the First in which I have to read four books from the following subgenres: Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Dark Fantasy. Gothic. Horror. Supernatural.

Carl urges participants to set-up a pool of possible reads for the challenge. That way you don’t feel hemmed in by a predetermined list. And so I’m going to make my pool pretty big, that way whim can play a larger role in my choices between now and October 31st, when the challenge officially comes to an end. And now…

And I’ve got a few more in reserve, too, ready to be chosen if that’s where my whim takes me. All in all, though, I’d say it’s a decent pool, swinging from YA gothic, to cozy mystery, to literary, to dark fantasy and so on.

Even if you don’t plan on taking part, make sure to check out the review site…because we all know you secretly want to add more books to your TBR, right?

And now…to read. Have fun everyone!

Mail Call

If it weren’t for EgmontUSA my mailbox would have been a barren box this week. So, thank you EgmontUSA!! Now might be a good time to admit that I’ve noticed how awesome this publisher is and just how many of their titles look amazing. Here are the five that will be keeping me entertained over the next month or so:

This first book (on the top of the pile) is the one I’ve really been looking forward to reading. I’ve made Alexandra Bracken’s blog a daily stop, and she has a lovely website to pore over, too. Release date: March 23, 2010

Brightly Woven
From Alexandra Bracken’s website:

BW is my YA fantasy novel, which will be published by Egmont USA in Spring 2010. It’s the story of a young girl, Sydelle, who is chosen by a wizard as his reward for ending a decade-long drought in her village. They must travel together to stop a religious war that threatens to destroy not only their world, but their budding relationship as well.

This next one is set to be released at the end of this month…

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley

For Zaria Tourmaline, the three years without her mother and brother have been lonely ones, living with a cold and distant guardian while she completes her education. Just as she is ready to join the world of adult fairies and genies, she finds a spellbook written entirely in her mother’s hand. But this treasured object is not safe from a new enemy, a fairy with more power than Zaria ever dreamed existed. Only among the humans–who must never know fairies and genies exist–can Zaria hide the spellbook; but hidden magic, it turns out, can expose a fairy in ways she never thought possible.

This next one, I think, is going to be really popular with the teens at my library. And I think I’m going to like it, too. Release date: April 13, 2010

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
From the author’s website:

Sixteen year old Jess Parker gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls where makeover fantasies become reality. It’s a dream life come true… until the Cindys are forced to battle the Wickeds (led by Jess’s arch enemy) for high school supremacy and so much more. Sisterhood has its privileges, but this prestigious secret society is about to put Jess and her Sisters to the ultimate test.

I’ve been seeing the cover for The Dark Divine all over the place lately. Release date: December 22

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
From the author’s website:

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel’s dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

And, finally, I was so happy to get this one because it looks too cute, and just right for its targeted age group.

Candle Man, Book One: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance by Glenn Dakin

Murder, mystery, and adventure aren’t your typical birthday presents . . .

But for Theo, anything that breaks up his ordinary routine is the perfect gift.
A mysterious “illness” and Theo’s guardians force him into a life indoors, where gloves must be worn and daily medical treatments are the norm. When Theo discovers a suspicious package on his birthday, one person from the past will unlock the secret behind Theo’s “illness” and change his life forever.

Molded into an exhilarating steampunk adventure that gives birth to the next great fantasy hero, Theo Wickland, Candle Man: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance is the first book in a trilogy by debut author Glenn Dakin.

I also got a textbook for my next to last course in pursuit of my Master’s (exciting, right?) but this was a great week for YA and, again, my thanks to Egmont!

Ash ~ Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Malinda Lo’s Ash is a gorgeous retelling of Cinderella with a few twists. True, there is a prince, perhaps not so charming, but he is not the one that Ash desires. And, yes, the stepmother and stepsisters are hateful characters who put Ash through so much, but instead of a fairy godmother, Ash has a beautiful, dangerous fairy granting her wish, and he’s got a problem of his own.

While the bones of Cinderella are there, Ash is so much more. Lo’s writing is lovely and flows seamlessly, weaving fairy tales into the fabric of the one Ash finds herself living. And each of those fairy tales is surrounded by darkness, bringing to mind the tone of the Grimms’ work, when the tales were used as much as cautionary lessons as for entertainment, a fact that Ash points out herself in the novel. Overall, the story is incredibly atmospheric, and enchanting in its own slightly dangerous way. The characters are well-drawn, each strong in their own right, and Ash is the type of heroine the reader wants to see triumph.

And as if the story weren’t enough, Little, Brown did a wonderful job packaging it; the cover is fantastic and relevant, and the beginning of each chapter with its illuminated first letter is a delight. This one was wonderful from start to finish.

Boneshaker ~ Cherie Priest

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

The short of it:

Boneshaker is an excellent, atmospheric adventure that is expertly crafted, and filled with -  yeah, I’m going to say it – thrills and chills.

And because I have a lot more to say:

The very first thing that struck me about Boneshaker was this: Briar Wilkes is one hell of a woman. Strong-willed and strong-minded, Briar is a no-nonsense kind of woman who sees what she has to do and does it whether she’s afraid or not. Her life may have made her that way, but she owns it. It’s easy to respect Briar, to be just a little in awe of her tenacity. And in her company is a very good place to be.

When her son, Zeke, goes into Seattle proper, past the wall that keeps the Blight contained, Briar picks up her deceased father’s rifle, grabs a mask, and heads in after him. Having to go over the wall, Briar seeks the help of an airship captain, one who thinks the law isn’t meant to be followed to the letter. Her search leads her to several more characters that are artfully executed and just plain interesting.

Really, this is a trend you should be forewarned of: The characters in Boneshaker all offer something, and not one is shallow or easily written off, they’re all solid, each unique, and my hat goes off to Ms. Priest for the care she must have taken in creating them.

Okay, so, the next thing that struck me: This world Cherie Priest has built has spirit. I’m not sure how else to say it. It’s inventive, marvelously so, and runs the gamut from terrifying to spectacular with ease. It’s…it’s almost like it has a pulse, this Seattle, that makes the book beat with life. I could feel the thrusters that boost the airship into the air, and I could feel the rotters’ breath scorching the skin of my neck. Rarely – no, I take that back – never have I felt fear gripping me when reading about anything that resembles a zombie. Until now. There is a scene in Boneshaker that squeezed my lungs until I could barely breath – which was when I actually realized I was holding my breath – and I could feel how wide my eyes were as they tracked the lines on the page. I’m talking fearfully good stuff here.

While Boneshaker isn’t exactly fast-paced, it is exhilarating, exciting, and not once did I think to lay it aside in favor of something else. The chapters are expertly woven between the paths that Briar and Zeke are independently walking through the city; alternating between each character tightened the tension, made you kind of tread on dangerous ground, as you had to wait to see where each chapter picked up from where you left them.

There is a whole lot more I could say, but beyond ‘read this book’ and ‘it’s awesome’ I’m not going to. Don’t want to give anything away or take away from the experience of discovering it for yourself. So…Get this book when it’s released. Amazon is saying September 29th.

And make sure to check out the website, The Clockwork Century, and perhaps even the short story Ms. Priest wrote called Tanglefoot: A Story of Clockwork Century.

Waiting On…The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart

I wanted to post the biggest image I could find of the cover because…well, look at it.

There’s some conflict about the publication date for this one: Amazon says September 14th, but the publisher’s website says March 2nd, 2010. The sooner the better, but no matter, I’ll be getting it when it is released, whenever that may be. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

Edinburgh, 1874: Little Jack is born with a frozen heart and immediately undergoes a life-saving operation — the implantation of a cuckoo-clock in his chest. From then on his days all begin with a wind-up, in this dark, tender fairy tale spiced with devilish humour.

About the Author
Described by Iggy Pop as ‘Francois Truffaut with a rock ‘n’ roll band’, Mathias Malzieu is the lead singer of French pop group Dionysos and the genius behind the French bestseller La Mecanique du Coeur. He has written an album based on the book, and is co-director of the forthcoming animated feature film optioned by Luc Besson. Born in 1974, he grew up near Montpelier, and is currently based in Paris.

I found a brief review of it here, and I found this:

I love it – both the music and the animation. I’d be very interested to hear the entire album that the book is based on. I just really love stuff like this and was actually quite excited to put this “waiting on” post together. If anyone else knows more about it, I hope you’ll share!

Guest Post & Giveaway: Leanna Renee Hieber

I’m very happy to welcome Leanna Renee Hieber, author of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, to Tempting Persephone. She graciously agreed to do a guest post for me, and I hope you enjoy reading about Myths and Muses…

I’m thrilled to be here today, Chelle has been so very kind to me from the first.  When I began testing the waters of book blogs, hoping to make connections and spread the word about my debut novel in the Strangely Beautiful series, Chelle had found me on Twitter and I was soon enchanted with her blog and via her blog-roll I met some incredible people along the way. I was immediately drawn here by the title, and when you read The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, you’ll know exactly why.

I’ve had a penchant for Mythology, particularly Greek Mythology, since I first heard of it in grade school. It was a favourite subject, I memorized all the major Gods and Goddesses, but found myself bored by the ‘big flashy Gods’ and all their jealous and silly goings on and was instead attracted to the smaller stories, the complex stories tinged with darkness like Pandora, or the quietly beautiful stories like Iris and the rainbow and Cupid and Psyche.  I loved the Muses, the concept of a Phoenix, and most of all, I loved Persephone.  She compelled me, saddened me, and I simply wondered about her.

I should make it very clear here that I take great liberty with Greek Mythology in my work and invent many things outside of the traditional canon.  This will not go without comment in the series, however I don’t want you, gentle readers, to pause and think but I don’t remember that part of the Myth- you shouldn’t.  Inventing things is fun.

I’d a very clear vision of the Underworld when I first learned of it in those grade-school days. It didn’t change when I read things like The Odyssey (oh, how I loved it and still do) and the Iliad, or even certain layers within Dante’s Inferno. I’ve never faltered from that vision of the Underworld; Darkness, Stone and Shadow, Wet and Grey, Wraith-filled and Whispering.  Fascinating and terrifying to me then and now, I remain utterly compelled by it.  This, and London in the 19^th century, hold me in thrall.

I realize that I thought of Victorian London in almost the same terms; Darkness, Stone… and Shadow.  Wet, grey, surely wraith-filled and certainly whispering…  Add the “Overworld” layers of grandeur, manner, romance, sophistication and Empire and you’ve a fascinating dual world in which to flourish or flounder.

At that same formative age as I discovered Greek Mythology, I became fascinated by Victorian literature (due in no small part to my role in a production of Oliver! adapted from Dickens’ Oliver Twist at age 9).  My love of the 19^th century (particularly the Gothic writers of the age) propelled me to study it alongside my theatre degree in college and adapt literature of the era for the stage.  I realized how taken the Victorians were with Classical themes- a Romanticism revival passionately evoking the old pantheons- and I realized these two worlds were not an odd juxtaposition at all.

I love alternate worlds, historical worlds, worlds of Gods and Goddesses, fantastical worlds like those I gobbled up of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll, Gothic worlds of Poe and Shelley, all these met my adoration for ghost stories and somehow a cross-genre Strangely Beautiful book was bourne of it. I hope you’ll be as intrigued by my Whisper-world, my new take on old Myths and my ghost-filled Victorian London as I’ve been with the subject matter that inspired it.

In a glowing review by New York Times Bestselling author Alethea Kontis (a Greek Goddess in her own right) in Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show described my book as “…Bullfinch’s Mythology and Harry Potter and Wuthering Heights mashed in a blender.” I find this quite the compliment.  I love all those things separately, all are major influences, and so I hope you’ll love them all put together.

Excerpts and links to order the book online can be accessed via my Book page: www.leannareneehieber.com/books

I hope you’ll join me for my Strangely Beautiful Haunted London Blog Tour where I tell ghost stories- real, documented London haunts- that I use in my book, each day a new Ghost and a new book giveaway.  The schedule: http://www.leannareneehieber.com/haunted-london-blog-tour-book-giveaway/

Also join me for my Contest for two lovely prizes, featuring a pop quiz on three Shakespeare references I use in the book.  Details: http://www.leannareneehieber.com/contest/

Blessings and thanks Chelle, for your time and for this giveaway, I’m terrifically pleased that you so enjoyed Miss Percy’s Tale.  I look forward to sharing more with you and your readers in the future.

~*~*~**~*~*~

First, my many thanks to Leanna for taking time out of her schedule to stop by! I loved her book and can’t wait for the next one.

And now…the giveaway!

Would you like a copy of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker?

All you have to do to win a copy is leave a comment on this post. That’s it! The contest will be open until August 25th. U.S. addresses only at this time. I’ll pull a name and announce the winner on the 26th. Please make sure to leave an email address with your comment.

Just for fun, and this absolutely just for fun, you can include in your comment your favorite myth, God/Goddess, book about mythology, etc. I’ve got favorites and I’m always interested in hearing about others’!