In Greek mythology the goddess Demeter is presented as a victim. Her beloved daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and required to spend six months each year in the underworld because she ate six pomegranate seeds. During that time, Demeter mourns and refuses to let anything grow. But what if Demeter wasn’t really the wronged…
Sister of the Moon is a dreary fantasy romance about a dying race of Sidhe (fairie folk) that I recommend leaving on the shelf if you’re looking for a little cheer this holiday season. With each winter that passes, the Sidhe diminish in number. Invading “Men” have taken their livestock and crops and have forced…
Juliet Marillier’s second novel Son Of Shadows is not only the perfect sequel to the first novel in her Sevenwaters trilogy, Daughter Of The Forest, but the perfect complement to it as well. It’s less gloomy, but more dangerous in atmosphere, and focuses less on family and more on romance this time. In fact, the…
I stumbled across the book Archangel as a result of a conference I went to on the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. In no time at all I had read this book, its sequel, and much of Sharon Shinn’s backlist, which is, unfortunately, not nearly long enough. Sharon Shinn is a buried treasure and someone…
Juliet Marillier’s debut novel, Daughter Of The Forest has only one flaw, as far as I can tell, and that it is terribly unsatisfying – because it leaves the reader desperately craving more. Luckily, it’s the beginning of a trilogy, although I have a hunch that three books will not be enough to tell all…
Some romances entertain immensely when they present a different world, one that comes with its own creatures, social structures and norms, and characters who have paranormal powers. But while the world created by Robin D. Owens in HeartMate doesn’t disappoint, the book itself is actually difficult to get into. The problem stems from the development…
Once upon a time, a long time ago in a land called California, there lived a little girl who believed in fairytales. In her heart of hearts, she knew that someday, when she was grown, a handsome young prince would ride up on his charger and sweep her away to his castle in the sky…
There’s a saying to the effect that the task of poetry is to either take the unfamiliar and make it familiar, or vice versa. As a long-time fan of fantasy fiction, I’ve always thought the same applied to that genre. Unfortunately, Dark Dreams does the exact opposite: it takes the unfamiliar and keeps it completely…
The Warrior, a sequel to The Trickster, which was quite favorable reviewed here at AAR, suffers from a bad case of sequel-itis. But instead of the usual symptom, bloated sections of boring back story, this one assumes the reader has read the prequel and will read the forthcoming sequel and leaves out too much information….
Move over, Buffy . . . Step aside, Xena . . . Zoë Smith’s the new super gal in town! Ahhh, those marketing folks. They’ll say just about anything to make a sale, won’t they? Well, after reading about Zoë’s adventures I don’t think Buffy and Xena need to worry about retiring and settling in…
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