Cover Love: Dust City

This book has been on my radar for what feels like a while now, but it was just today that I saw a cover for it. Now, this may not be the final cover, but…I really hope it is. Because I love it. Love it.

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

I checked a few book sites, the author’s website, but came up with nothing, not even this one, which came from the publisher’s catalog. I’m just going to go ahead and keep my fingers crossed that this is the image that will be on the final cover because I would pick this up in a heartbeat, whether I knew what the book was about or not. It just so happens that the book sounds pretty awesome all on its own. Here’s the synopsis, also from the catalog:

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that’s who.

Ever since his father’s arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . .until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone—and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family’s sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?

Dust City is set to be released by Razorbill this September (according to Amazon.)

Spread it Around: Nominate Your Favorite YA Characters

If you haven’t yet, would you consider nominating your favorite characters from any YA novel for inclusion in my “100 Best YA Characters” poll/list? Also, would you think about spreading the word so we can get a lot of different nominations?

You can leave your nominations on this post or on the original post (where you can also see those characters already nominated.)

You can nominate up to three characters Nominate as many as you’d like* – any YA novel, from any genre, any decade.

I’d really appreciate anyone you can send my way to take part! Thanks!

*If you’ve already nominated three and would like to add more, feel free!

Me, Distracted

I have not been reading; I’ve been distracted. Work is keeping me incredibly busy, excited but busy. To the point that even when I’m home, curled up on the couch, I’m mentally reciting a list of things that need to get done, be worried over, or forgotten in the shuffle. The stack of obligation reading I have to do is practically crying from neglect. But, to be fair, work isn’t the only thing keeping me from picking up a book. No, there’s also my very last graduate course, and, oh, living (or some facsimile thereof.) But …*stubs toe into ground*… there have been a few other distractions clamoring for my attention. One happens to come in the rather fine form of actor Timothy Olyphant.

I had seen Hitman (at the time, the biggest draw was the trailer’s rather awesome action sequence set to “Ave Maria”); I had seen Live Free or Die Hard; I had made my way through the first season of Deadwood. But it wasn’t until I started watching – and loving – Justified that I realized some might call me a fan.

Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard, Olyphant’s new show is an hour long character sketch featuring a man who hides his anger well; he’s casually lethal, well-mannered, deceptively smart and intuitive. He makes questionable – and sometimes downright awful – decisions. He’s a hero, or so the badge he wears would have us believe, but his flaws and insecurities inform his code of honor as much as his strengths do. The show isn’t action packed – though Olyphant’s character’s controlled violence offers a definite adrenaline punch – but its slowly unraveling main character makes for fascinating viewing. At least for me.

Now that I’ve realized that, however unintentionally, I’ve kind of been following Olyphant’s career, I’ve been going back and filling in some of the gaps. And even as I’ve done so I realize how weird it is; the actors that get under my skin are usually expressive, something in their faces catches me and holds on, but Olyphant doesn’t really fit that mold. Not to the level I’m talking about. And yet…

So, that’s it, one of my recent distractions. I’m going to try to really buckle down this week and try to get some reading done. Reviews soon, I hope!

I ♥ This Art: The Queen and the Explorer

I ♥ This Art is a weekly feature on Tempting Persephone. Art, no matter the medium, buoys my spirit up. Each week I’ll spotlight a piece that speaks to me, makes me want to know more, or taps into some emotion or sentiment.

“The Queen and the Explorer” by Lisa Falzon

Silver Borne ~ Patricia Briggs

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she’d previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down. It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn’t take enough of Mercy’s attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam’s life forfeit. All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn’t careful, she might not have many more to live…[Summary from B&N]

Each Mercy book has a very specific feel to me, and that feel (read: atmosphere) is usually dependent on what she’s dealing with – werewolf, vampire, fae. As a result, each book is very distinct in my mind. Silver Borne continued that trend, but stands a little apart because so much of the conflict revolved around emotions or was driven by pack politics. The short of it is, like the other books in this series, I was engaged from the start and reread several scenes as I went along. My main complaint (if you could even call it that): Stefan’s absence. Mercy mentioning his name a few times does not a happy Chelle make.

But Adam, never has his appeal been so obvious to me as it was while I read Silver Borne. From book one I liked him, but, apparently, I never quite got it. So what woke me up? Part of it was that one of the plot threads – Mercy having to take a good long look at the mate bond she shares with Adam* – gave me no other choice. Mercy was, as she is wont to be, painfully honest about her emotions, and I think they rubbed off on me. Plus, Adam finally broke my heart and in a very good way. (I know that sounds strange, but when that happens I know I’ve connected with the character in a way that means he/she/it is, from then on out, one of mine. But I think that may be a whole other post and probably sounds no less strange for me trying to explain it.)

I’ve come to expect a solid story from Briggs and this series, and Silver Borne delivered that in spades. Here’s looking forward to River Marked!

*Whited-out for possible spoiler potential.

A Book by its Cover

Covers are amazing hooks, aren’t they? I’ve often been grateful that a cover has prompted me to pick up a book I might otherwise have left behind; I’ve found a few favorites that way. Here are a couple that recently caught my attention.

It’s a volatile new economy in Durant, Wyoming, where the owners of a multi-million dollar development of ranchettes want to get rid of the adjacent junk-yard. When a severed thumb is discovered in the yard, conflicts erupt, and Walt Longmire, his trusty companion Dog, life-long friend Henry Standing Bear, and deputies Santiago Saizarbitoria and Victoria Moretti find themselves in a small town that feels more and more like a high plains pressure cooker. [Summary from B&N]

Would I typically pick this up? Nope. But the second I set eyes on that cover I wanted a closer look. And now I’m just intrigued. I mean, first, if that’s a dog, that is one mighty big, wolf-looking dog. And I love the color of the cover; it’s sort of like the shade of the sky, just a little beyond dusk. I can easily imagine a lot of nighttime menacing going on in this book. I also love that I can feel the cold, just based on that one streaming breath, and that they masked “a novel” as a sign on the fence. I just might have to check it out.

Returning to her hometown of Fjallbacka after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice-cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life.

Erica conceives a book about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their own shared past. While her interest grows into an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case. But it is only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about a small town with a deeply disturbing past. [Summary from B&N]

I also wouldn’t have given this one a second glance – based on the summary – if not for the cover. I love how the branches seem to be reaching for the girl, encasing her. I love the stark white of the snow, the ruby red of the lettering. Not to be overly repetitious but, again, I’m intrigued.

Fueling my Holmes Addiction

You all know that I’m crazy about Sherlock by now, right? So it should come as no surprise then that as soon as I laid eyes on these beauties I snatched them up, right? And just look at ‘em! Don’t they fit in beautifully?

Yep, that’s what the Holmes menagerie shelf looks like with my new lovely, oh so lovely additions (on the left there.) Not sure how much more I’ll be able to squeeze in, but no doubt I’ll find a way if I continue to run into such awesome things on Etsy.

And since it has occured to me, looking at the photo, that that Basil (as in Rathbone) tin should be moved over a teensy bit to the left, I’m off to do so.

Touched by an Alien ~ Gini Koch

Marketing manager Katherine “Kitty” Katt had just finished a day on jury duty. When she stepped out of the Pueblo Caliente courthouse, all she was thinking about was the work she had to get caught up on. Then her attention was caught by a fight between a couple – a domestic dispute that looked like ti was about to turn ugly. But ugly didn’t even begin to cover it when the “man” suddenly transformed into a huge, winged monster right out of a grade z science fiction movie and went on a deadly killing spree. In hindsight, Kitty realized she probably should have panicked and run screaming the way everyone around her was doing. Instead she got mad, searched her purse for a weapon, and, armed with a Mont Blanc pen, sprinted into action to take down the alien.

In the middle of all the screeching and the ensuing chaos, a tall handsome hunk of a guy in an Armani suit suddenly appeared beside her, examined the boy, introduced himself as Jeff Martini with “the agency,” called out to an Armani-clad colleague to perform crowd control, and then insisted on leading her to a nearby limo to talk to his “boss.”

And that was how Kitty’s new life among the aliens began… [Summary from Book Cover]

What can I say? I loved this book. So much so that it bears repeating (for the, oh, third time) that I almost kissed the screen when I found out it wasn’t going to be a standalone. I was hoping – was I ever! – that I’d at least get a sequel, and relief poured in when I saw that not only is there going to be another book – Alien Tango – it’s going to be released this December. Still too far off, but…You know what? I’m getting way ahead of myself.

By now you’ve probably read the summary, and you might even be thinking “Ah, that’s kind of out there, and, um, well it sounds like it might be a little…cheesy/campy/insert word here?” Trust me when I say, Koch makes it work. This book never tries to take itself too seriously; instead it’s all kinds of fun, and pokes a sharp finger at pop culture moments (such as Men in Black) that might have had a hand in informing the story. And besides, once you meet Jeff Martini you’ll find yourself saying “who cares?!” and going along with all of it. As for me, I was hooked from the first page, and felt downright resentful of dinner for making me put the book down.

Since I can tell this review is on the verge of derailing with my enthusiasm, here is a bulleted list of a few of the things I loved:

• The characters. Jeff, of course. But Kitty was wonderful, too, as she was forced to quickly rise to the challenge and take control of a situation that would have sent many others into a straight jacket and padded cell. And then there was: Reader, Kitty’s parents, a pack of dogs all with names that began with D, and many others.
• There were scenes that made me laugh. Out loud. My husband looked at me strangely, but refused to ask. Just as well.
• The awesome way Kitty takes down some really nasty superbeings. Oh, and I want a Mont Blanc pen. Seems like something a girl should have in her bag at all times (and now I’m just not sure that my Pilot Varsity would be up to the task.)
• The song “Love in an Elevator“? I have a whole new appreciation for it.
• The fact that I didn’t blink an eye when weightier themes – such as religious persecution – were introduced. I have a feeling other readers might roll their eyes, grumble something like “really? you went there?,” but not me. I was too far gone, remember?
• And the other fact that I actually wanted plot threads to go unresolved, thereby forcing another book. I was getting towards the end, taking stock of what hadn’t been resolved, thinking “well, that’s it then. There must be another book.” And then the thread would go and get itself resolved, leaving me with a “well, damn” kind of feeling. (Thank you, Ms. Koch, for having the info on Alien Tango right there on your main page.)

I’m glad I bought Touched by an Alien rather than waiting for the library’s copy to come in. After reading it I would have ended up at a bookstore anyway. And since it’s mine, I can keep rereading favorite scenes until Alien Tango is released. So, to sum things up: it worked for me, I LOVED it, and I definitely want more. And more…

And that Mont Blanc pen.

Second Opinion:
ALPHA reader’s review

Shalador’s Lady ~ Anne Bishop

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule.

But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever…[Summary from B&N]

I’ve said many times before that I love Anne Bishop’s books and the world and characters she has created in her Black Jewels series. I’ve said it, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to inject the *love* I feel into the statement. Because it’s an unreasonable love, in a the-heart-wants-what-the-heart-wants kind of way; Bishop can do no wrong by me because my heart very much wants her books. So I’m going to take a moment and risk being repetitive and say: Reading a Black Jewels book is like coming home for me. For such a vicious world, I always feel calm, content, happy even when I’m there. And I miss it terribly when I turn the last page, knowing that I’m going to have to wait a year, maybe more, to catch up with the characters again. And the day Ms. Bishop decides their stories are done? Please, no one come near me. I’ll be inconsolable.

Now that I’ve nicely set-up my complete and utter bias, the review. I’ll try to be objective, really, I will, but don’t hold it against me if I fail. Alright?

So, Shaldador’s Lady takes up where The Shadow Queen left off. Theran is as convinced as ever that Cassidy is not right for Dena Nehele, despite the fact that her entire court, his servants, and the majority of the landen in the province adore her. He acts blindly, he’s arrogant and hurtful, and remarkably I felt bad for him in this novel. (Just a little bit, and only towards the end, but even so.) Cassidy’s court hasn’t softened towards him whatsoever; the crux of the conflict stems from how to deal with his obstinacy and Cassidy’s fears while maintaining a very tenuous peace with Blood and landen alike.

What I Loved: Gray’s growing friendship with Lucivar, Daemon and Saetan, and the fact that he draws a very definite line in the sand with Theran; Khollie and the rest of the scelties; a certain scene between Lucivar and Daemon (which cannot be named for its spoiler potential); Ranon and his “my heart is too full for words” moment; and I could keep going. But…

Now for the objective part. Was Shalador’s Lady the best Black Jewels book? No. It lost a great deal of the original trilogy’s threat. I was expecting things to get a bit violent, or at the very least physical, and was surprised by the path the resolution took. Not that it was bad, per se, but an enraged Lucivar is a sight to behold. (And Daemon, too. And Saetan. And I kind of wanted to see Gray rise to that challenge. Or even Ranon. And, okay, maybe I wanted to see Cassidy deck someone.) I also felt that this story went light on the world-building that makes the Black Jewels books so phenomenal. But that’s only because I really want to dig in deep, to wrap it around myself as I’m reading. (Like I said, the heart wants…)

Do you all have books or series that when someone speaks negatively about them you feel a pang of hurt? Or your stomach kind of dips? I have a few of them, and the Black Jewels books – all of them – make the list. I want to shout from a rooftop “Read these books!” but I’m too afraid to put them out there because I want everyone to love them as much as I do. And that’s just not reasonable. All I can say is, I can’t help it. Yes, my love is definitely beyond reason.

Giveaway Winners

A big thank you to Lauren (from SpruceTV) for the copy of Captivate and to Karen (from Media Masters Publicity) for Radiant Shadows!! And now…

The winner of Captivate is:

(#9) Angie D

and the winner of Radiant Shadows is:

(#10) Steph

Thanks to everyone who entered; I loved reading your comments!