Nuks, Books & Hooks

“Spy Glass” by Maria V. Snyder – Book Review

agentpaper — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:51:25 +0000

The finale in Snyder’s second trilogy set in the countries of Sitia (a place where magic is used and accepted) and Ixia (a militaristic land where the use of magic is forbidden). The first book is called Storm Glass and you should really start with that one, followed by Sea Glass- the story just won’t make sense otherwise.

Opal has sacrificed her magical abilities to save her friends and stop Ulrick and Tricky in their quest for blood magic. She has been left emotionally drained and feels like she has no purpose now that she can no longer help the Council by making her glass messengers (not to mention her magic siphoning abilities). A visit from Valek gives her hope that she may ultimately recover some magic but first she has to master the abilities she has left. Opal’s love life continues to confuse her but I think, in the end, she is with the right person. I love the world that Snyder has created with these books and her ability to weave characters from previous books into the current story line is a lot of fun. Every time Ari and Janco show up it’s like seeing old friends again . This was a very satisfying and well-paced conclusion to the Glass trilogy. I hope Snyder revisits Sitia and Ixia again soon (I have my suspicions about the main character in the next trilogy- fingers crossed it’s Reema!) because she has a wonderful fantasy world created that’s a pleasure to visit every time.

I received a free ebook copy of this title for review from netgalley.com courtesy of Harlequin.

“The Sleeping Beauty” by Mercedes Lackey – Book Review

agentpaper — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:26:01 +0000

The latest entry in Lackey’s 500 Kingdoms series is, in my opinion, the best since her first title “The Fairy Godmother”. The characters were fun and engaging and the plot was familiar yet it still managed to surprise with its inventiveness. Despite the title, the book opens with the tale of Snow White (complete with wicked stepmother and magic mirror- or maybe not?). Over the course of the story there are magicians, dragons, adventure and plucky heroines. Everything you would come to expect from a proper fairy tale.

I’ve loved all of the 500 Kingdoms books for the way they take the familiar stories and combine them to create something that can still surprise. These are the best kind of books for a summertime read out on the patio- light, humorous and smart.

I received a free ebook copy of this title for review from netgalley.com courtesy of Harlequin.

True Confessions of a Working Mom

agentpaper — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:19:01 +0000

So I’m going to give this whole blogging thing a try. We’ll see how it goes since I don’t exactly have a lot of that thing called free time. I plan to use this as a forum to share reviews of books that I’ve been reading, interesting tidbits on parenting and life, and projects that I’ve been working on. You’re welcome to join me and share any of your own ideas!