Tag: Urban Fantasy Page 33 of 44

Mutation by Nerys Wheatley

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On October 31, 2016

In Fiction

MutationMutation

by Nerys Wheatley
Series: Twenty-Five Percent, #1

Kindle Edition, 399 pg.
Nerys Wheatley, 2015

Read: October 28, 2016


Last week, one hour after scheduling a post where I complained about Zombie stories, I loaded the next novel on my list onto my Kindle, and, of course, it’s a Zombie novel. How I agreed to read two of them in a month, I’ll never understand. I did say that there are exceptions to my “no Zombie” taste, thankfully, this turned out to be one of them.

So, in this particular version of the Zombie plague — humanity comes up with a cure before the pandemic becomes so widespread that there’s no hope for the human race. It’s not perfect, it works about 25% of the time (see the name of the series), but that’s better than nothing, right? Survivors deal with a few after-effects — enhanced strength, enhanced sense of smell, immunity to the plague, and opaque eye-coloring. Oh, and a prejudice from a significant amount of the non-infected population.

Honestly, part of that prejudice makes sense — a mysterious disease leaves some standing — after eating human flesh — who are stronger than everyone else. I can understand why it’d take a few years to get comfortable with the idea. I’m not saying I’d endorse the treatment Survivors get, but I understand the root of it.

Our protagonist is Alex — he’s a Survivor, and a police detective. Mostly he deals with paperwork and zombies, because the general populace isn’t so crazy about him doing much else. But it’s a start — he’s slowly building some credibility inside the department, too — who knows where that might lead? He lives in a part of town that’s predominantly Survivors and their families, and I enjoyed seeing the camaraderie/community there.

So, a new strain of the Zombie plague hits their town — it’s faster acting and soon the police force is overwhelmed. Before long, Alex is the only one standing (although some have just run off to be with their families), and it’s just an anti-Survivor activist and him left in the police station. Micah and Alex aren’t off to the best start — they’d been in a fist fight the night before, during a protest/riot near Alex’s home, and Alex had arrested him. Still, Alex felt compelled to rescue him from the new Zombies and the two make their way to safer parts of town, to their homes and friends — battling Zombies and saving each other’s lives.

At some point, the two become determined to see fi they can find out what caused this new versions of the plague to hit their city and to see if they can stop it.

The duo display this great mis-matched buddy-cop feel, if not for the near-apocalyptic nature of what’s going on in their city, they’d be a lot of fun to hang out with. Neither are all that interesting on their own (they might be, in the right circumstance), but together, they’re a whole lot of fun. They have to learn to trust on each other and depend on each other, just to have a fighting chance – they also have to protect each other from their friends/comrades. Neither Alex’s fellow Survivors, or Micah’s fellow anti-Survivors are all that crazy about the presence of the Other in their midst.

I really enjoyed watching that dynamic, in all its facets, work together. I wasn’t terribly interested in the story — there are only so many things that can be done in that genre, story-wise, it’s all about the characters — that’s the only way you can get someone like me to care about this. Wheatley pulls it off well.

Plenty of action, not that much gore (but what’s there is pretty well-written), some humor, some nice character interactions, and an interesting twist at the end. All in all, a pretty fun and satisfying read. I didn’t love it, but I liked it plenty. Given my own prejudices, that’s pretty good.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion — my thanks to her.

—–

3 Stars

Scattered Screams by C. A. Huggins

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On October 28, 2016

In Fiction

Scattered ScreamsScattered Screams

by C.A. Huggins
Series: The Disruption: Book One

Kindle Edition, 141 pg.
Captain of My Ship Publishing, 2016

Read: October 26, 2016


Zombies. Why’d it have to be zombies?

I just don’t do zombies — with very few exceptions. This came close to being one of them, but just couldn’t overcome the genre.

Marcus, Ali (his son), and Vic (Ali’s friend) are in California visiting colleges when there’s a Zombie outbreak. Now, they’ve got to cross the country with only their wits, strength, and unlikely allies to return home and rejoin their family. Many of the characters they encounter on their journey are pretty interesting, and you can see why the trio would trust and work with them. By the end, some of the characters are almost well-rounded — given another 30+ pages, they might have reached it. But on the whole, they’re flat, but with potential.

The monsters are (basically) the easiest kills I’ve seen — teenagers are taking them out with a swing of a makeshift weapon? I do like that there’s variety in the monster — it’s not one Zombie race, but at least three strange variations of monster.

It was on the last 2 pages (screens, I guess) that something happened that really interested me. Not enough to get me to grab book two, but there’s some real promise there.

Honestly, if you like Horror/Zombie books with a touch of Urban Fantasy, this might be your thing. I can’t recommend this, but I can see why many could really get into it.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for this post — sorry.

—–

2 Stars

Curse on the Land by Faith Hunter

By

On October 26, 2016

In Book Tour, F-J, Faith Hunter, Fiction, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood, Urban Fantasy

Curse on the LandCurse on the Land

by Faith Hunter
Series: Soulwood, #2

eARC, 352 pg.
Roc, 2016

Read: October 13 – 15, 2016


Weeks after the events of Blood of the Earth, newly-minted PsyLED agent Nell Ingram comes back from the training center, “Spook School,” ready to dive into her new role. It seems she comes back just in time for a case that’s right up her alley — strange and magical things are up, and seem to be tied to land. Something big, something powerful and something no one’s really seen before — which sounds a lot like Nell. So instead of doing the grunt work, the Probie work, she’s in the front of this investigation.

The presence of Brother Ephriam in the Soulwood she lives is also still around and doing something that also seems to be involving the tree on her former Church’s compound. She needs to address this, she knows, but the threats to the general public and local wildlife take priority. She also seems reticent to deal with this problem and confront the actions that led to his presence in the wood, so she’s glad for the distraction posed by her job.

For all the regulations and devices that PsyLED brings to the investigation of magical goings-on, I appreciate how often those things fail to do anything to solve the problem. They’re helpful in guiding the agents, in informing their actions, decisions and conclusions — but it’s not the be all and end all. Throughout the novel, there’s this interesting intermingling of magic and technology that’s done in a way I’ve not really seen before (although, I think it’s what Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant wants, but he’s a long way from getting it).

Nell’s continued obsession with foods that cannot be found at a Farmer’s Market and her growing familiarity with pop culture (particularly movies) continue to be fun — they ground the character as well as provide much-needed comic relief.

I think Nell could be the best new character I’ve read this year. She’s not your typical kick-ass heroine, nor is she the (possibly more) typical damaged-yet-kick-ass heroine. She’s a strong woman, determined, and stubborn. Her strength doesn’t come from her magic powers, her job, or anything else. She’s always been strong, but the circumstances of her life have slowly revealed to both herself and those around her, just how strong she is (from what I gather, the stubbornness and determination have been evident all her life). Which is not to say she’s all strength — she’s a nurturer (not just of her plants), she’s caring, and she’s nowhere near invulnerable (physically or emotionally). She’s also pretty clever and as her education moves beyond the solely autodidactic, we’ll see that demonstrated more and more.

While this series (at least so far) is ultimately about Nell, the characters she’s surrounded by shouldn’t be ignored. In Blood of the Earth, Nell’s embraced by her PsyLED team as part of a family, an intact and nurturing alternative to her blood-relatives. It almost seemed like an idealized replacement, but the events of this novel make it clear that it’s nowhere near ideal. Several members of the team are effected by the events here in ways that will not be able to be glossed over — both as a result of their work on the case and from arcs that carry over from the Jane Yellowrock series. The latter, I found particularly satisfying, while the former intrigue me and I’m eager to see how they play out.

We can’t forget Nell’s literal dysfunctional family, either. However strange and foreign they may seem to us (odd that these humans seem less familiar than the nonhumans in the books), the efforts on their part to restore and repair their relationships with Nell — while she does the same — are encouraging and heartwarming. Her brother, in particular, is fast becoming a favorite. Their new openness to the culture around them and the . . . lack of overt hostility and aggression to the magic and magical beings in Nell’s life is great to see, while they retain much of their religious/cultic faith. I hope there are a few bumps along the path, just to make it more realistic, however.

I almost forgot to talk about Hunter’s writing — it’s as great as ever. I think her use of magic — particularly large-scale workings — in these two books works better than it does in the Yellowrock books. Her characters, settings, dialogue, and other writerly demonstrations make this world rich and real. She’s among the best and most consistent in the UF field these days and I’m eager to get my hands on whatever she’s got coming out next.

I left Blood of the Earth wondering how Hunter could make this into a series –and I’m still wondering how this works long-term, there are only so many things you can do to the earth/plants/trees in an area, right? Can Nell function hundreds of miles (or more) from Soulwood? Is she much use in a skirmish between rival Vampire clans or the like? Sure, she was able to do some damage to the creatures in the first book, but at what cost? While I don’t see how it’d work for a full novel (this is where Hunter proves me wrong), it’d good to see Nell acting in a more supportive role on the team — getting coffee, filing reports, etc. — while the weres take down some monsters, or something. I do see how these books function as a series when it comes to the characters, however — it’s just how to keep the stories/cases interesting that I don’t see long-term, but I’m looking forward to Hunter educating me.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Roc via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this. And would’ve received it from Let’s Talk! Promotions, too, if I hadn’t already downloaded it. So I guess I should thank them, too.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

The Dispatcher (Audiobook) by John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto

By

On October 14, 2016

In Fiction, John Scalzi, Urban Fantasy

The Dispatcher The Dispatcher

by John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto (Narrator)
Series: The Dispatcher, #1


Unabridged Audiobook, 2 hrs, 19 min.
Audible Studios, 2016

Read: October 5, 2016


Last year, when he was in Boise, I heard John Scalzi read the first chapter of this book and I’ve been waiting for this ever since.

It’s an Urban Fantasy set in a world where natural or accidental death is possible, but if you’re murdered there’s an almost 100% possibility that you’ll come back to life. Huh? Yeah — heckuva hook, right? There’s no explanation for this, it just started — and it may just end at some point. But in the meantime people are taking full advantage of this.

Tony Valdez is a dispatcher — insurance companies and individuals have started hiring dispatchers to “dispatch” someone just before they die, so there’s a good chance — a fantastic chance, really — that they’ll survive. One of Tony’s coworkers has disappeared and a Chicago police detective has drafted him to help her track down his colleague. To find him, they have to look into the dark side of the dispatcher trade and the desperate lengths some will go through to extend the lives of their loved ones or themselves.

It was a fun book to listen to, a story that drew you in and drug you along to the gripping end. But once it was over, and I started thinking about it, all sorts of questions came to mind, not really plot holes, just things that weren’t adequately addressed. I think a lot of it was length, if this had been a novel, some of them wouldn’t have come up. The more I thought of it, it was almost like this novella was Scalzi’s attempt to prove a point/win a bet that, yes, he can write UF. A strongly written, convincing story that entertained from beginning to end — but there was just no heart to it, it just seemed like a writing exercise.

Quinto did a bang-up job — I think I only thought of him as the actor once or twice — he nailed every bit of this. If that whole movie star thing doesn’t work out for him, he could have a future doing this sort of thing. I should probably give this an extra star just for his work.

Very entertaining, a great experience — just don’t think about it too terribly much.

—–

3 Stars

The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels

By

On October 3, 2016

In Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook) The Purloined Poodle (Audiobook)

by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, #8.5/Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, #1

Unabridged Audiobook, 2 hrs, 57 min.
Kevin Hearne, 2016
Read: October 3, 2016


The best and most consistent part of The Iron Druid Chronicles has been Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. Now Kevin Hearne has given us a novella narrated by and starring him, with Atticus in the supporting role. It’s good that he kept the Druid around, because he has the whole opposable thumb thing going for him and can do things like communicate with other people

While playing in a dog park, Oberon stumbles upon a rash of dognappings — the victims are all Grand Champions. Oberon is appalled that such a thing can happen and vows to find the dogs and return them home. He enlists Atticus to assist him (and well, to do most of the work). They spend the next couple of days moving around the country visiting various dog trainers/owners and skirting trouble with the law. While Atticus does the heavy lifting of investigating, Oberon has a lot of fun meeting various Champion dogs — in particular, a Boston terrier named Starbuck.

The interplay between Atticus and Oberon is a lot of fun, but his narration is even better — between the repeated mentions of trying to pull off “the Full Jules” (reciting Ezekiel 25:17 at just the right moment); his summary/slash review of The Great Gatsby (which will forever alter the way I look at the book); Oberon as food critic (his takes on coffee and mustard are highlights); and a repeated tribute to Denis Leary’s best movie, this book was flat-out entertaining. Because it’s by Hearne and featuring Oberon, I assumed I’d enjoy it — I didn’t plan on (but should’ve) cackling by the 7% mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as a novella — the story was good enough to justify the time reading, but Daniels doing Oberon’s voice elevates the audio version to something great. Daniel’s Oberon doing a Pickup Truck commercial-voice over killed me — how Luke Daniels could read this whole book in that voice, I’ll never know. It must’ve required a lot of takes and more recovery time than you’d want to think about.

If you’ve read an Iron Druid Chronicle or two, you’ll know how good Oberon can be. Get this — you’ll squee.

—–

4 Stars

Pub Day Repost: The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne

By

On September 30, 2016

In F-J, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Purloined PoodleThe Purloined Poodle

by Kevin Hearne
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, #8.5/Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, #1

eARC, 112 pg.
Subterranean Press, 2016

Read: August 8, 2016


The best and most consistent part of The Iron Druid Chronicles has been Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. Now Kevin Hearne has given us a novella narrated by and starring him, with Atticus in the supporting role. It’s good that he kept the Druid around, because he has the whole opposable thumb thing going for him and can do things like communicate with other people

While playing in a dog park, Oberon stumbles upon a rash of dognappings — the victims are all Grand Champions. Oberon is appalled that such a thing can happen and vows to find the dogs and return them home. He enlists Atticus to assist him (and well, to do most of the work). They spend the next couple of days moving around the country visiting various dog trainers/owners and skirting trouble with the law. While Atticus does the heavy lifting of investigating, Oberon has a lot of fun meeting various Champion dogs — in particular, a Boston terrier named Starbuck.

The interplay between Atticus and Oberon is a lot of fun, but his narration is even better — between the repeated mentions of trying to pull off “the Full Jules” (reciting Ezekiel 25:17 at just the right moment); his summary/slash review of The Great Gatsby (which will forever alter the way I look at the book); Oberon as food critic (his takes on coffee and mustard are highlights); and a repeated tribute to Denis Leary’s best movie, this book was flat-out entertaining. Because it’s by Hearne and featuring Oberon, I assumed I’d enjoy it — I didn’t plan on (but should’ve) cackling by the 7% mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this — the story was good enough to justify the time reading, but Oberon’s voice elevates this to something really special. It is now one of my major Life Goals to hear Luke Daniels do the audiobook of this. If you’ve read an Iron Druid Chronicle or two, you’ll know how good Oberon can be. Read this, you won’t be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Subterranean Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.
N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

—–

4 Stars

Hammered (Audiobook) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels

By

On August 19, 2016

In Audiobook, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hammered Hammered

by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #3

Unabridged Audiobook, 9 hrs, 40 min.
Brilliance Audio, 2011

Read: July 25 – 26, 2016


This one is my least favorite in the series (I think, I’m pretty sure, anyway) — Atticus is held to promises he made in the last book, which brings him into contact with the Norse pantheon — particularly Thor — and knocks over the dominoes that will change the lives of Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon forever. This book prevents the Iron Druid Chronicles from being a Dresden Files-Light series, which I’m glad for.

But it just doesn’t work that well for me. Oh, I could point to passages that are stirring, well-written, thoughtful and so on — some of Hearne’s best action scenes are here. He’s got some great character work going on, too (Perun was one of my favorites from the start). I just think Hearne could’ve done better.

Some of Hearne’s funniest material is in this book — Atticus’ internal monologue where he replaces the angel/devil on your shoulder with a Spock and Kirk combo, the stuff about American beer, Oberon’s extended rant about Bacon Lattes from Starbucks. Just great. Sadly, the story surrounding all that just doesn’t hold up too well.

Still, a less-good Iron Druid book is still pretty good. It’s like an iffy pizza. It’s still pizza 🙂

Luke Daniels solidified his place as my favorite Audiobook narrator with this one — I laughed out loud at and loved his Ratatoskr. I don’t think I mentioned in the last book how much I appreciated his Coyote (and if I did, it bears repeating). His accent work was good — just everything. He even elevated the slow part of the book — the sitting-around-the-campfire, telling-stories-about-what-a-jackwagon-Thor-is chapters.

Not my favorite, but for who it introduces, what it sets up — and for the completest in me — worth your time. It’s probably a victim of Hearne’s rush to finish the trilogy to fulfill his very quick publishing contract. Which just means it gets better from here.

—–

3.5 Stars

The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne

By

On August 10, 2016

In F-J, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Purloined PoodleThe Purloined Poodle

by Kevin Hearne
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, #8.5/Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries, #1

eARC, 112 pg.
Subterranean Press, 2016

Read: August 8, 2016


The best and most consistent part of The Iron Druid Chronicles has been Atticus’ Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. Now Kevin Hearne has given us a novella narrated by and starring him, with Atticus in the supporting role. It’s good that he kept the Druid around, because he has the whole opposable thumb thing going for him and can do things like communicate with other people

While playing in a dog park, Oberon stumbles upon a rash of dognappings — the victims are all Grand Champions. Oberon is appalled that such a thing can happen and vows to find the dogs and return them home. He enlists Atticus to assist him (and well, to do most of the work). They spend the next couple of days moving around the country visiting various dog trainers/owners and skirting trouble with the law. While Atticus does the heavy lifting of investigating, Oberon has a lot of fun meeting various Champion dogs — in particular, a Boston terrier named Starbuck.

The interplay between Atticus and Oberon is a lot of fun, but his narration is even better — between the repeated mentions of trying to pull off “the Full Jules” (reciting Ezekiel 25:17 at just the right moment); his summary/slash review of The Great Gatsby (which will forever alter the way I look at the book); Oberon as food critic (his takes on coffee and mustard are highlights); and a repeated tribute to Denis Leary’s best movie, this book was flat-out entertaining. Because it’s by Hearne and featuring Oberon, I assumed I’d enjoy it — I didn’t plan on (but should’ve) cackling by the 7% mark.

I thoroughly enjoyed this — the story was good enough to justify the time reading, but Oberon’s voice elevates this to something really special. It is now one of my major Life Goals to hear Luke Daniels do the audiobook of this. If you’ve read an Iron Druid Chronicle or two, you’ll know how good Oberon can be. Read this, you won’t be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Subterranean Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post — thanks to both for this.

—–

4 Stars

Full of Briars by Seanan McGuire

By

On August 3, 2016

In Fiction, K-O, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye

Full of BriarsFull of Briars

by Seanan McGuire
Series: Toby Daye, #9.3 (but it takes place before The Winter Long)

Kindle Edition, 44 pg.
DAW, 2016

Read: August 8, 2016


I’m pretty torn about this one, to tell you the truth. Toby’s squire, Quentin, is our narrator this time out — and it’s worth reading just to see Toby, May, and Tybalt from his perspective. His parents have come to make everything official with the new Queen of the Mists — and while they’re around, they might as well check in on him and maybe bring him home.

There’s no action, no violence, Toby doesn’t come close to dying — it was so weird. There was a lot of talking — which was fun. Toby was Toby, being irreverent and nigh-disrespectful to Quentin’s parents, as she argued for them to leave him where he is. Tybalt was more Tybalt-y than usual, making sure that Quentin’s folks knew how little he cared about their status. Quentin’s growth as a character, as a person — his maturation, thanks to age and his service to Toby — is what’s on display here.

It was fun to read, and I wouldn’t discourage anyone from it — but I’m not sure it added a lot to my understanding of Toby or anyone else (including the central character). This is the first non-full length story I’ve read in this universe, and it doesn’t really make me think about trying another one. Still, it was entertaining enough — and had one killer line (and a few that were really good) — so I might.

—–

3 Stars

Pub Day Repost: Blood of the Earth by Faith Hunter

By

On August 2, 2016

In Faith Hunter, Fiction, Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood, Urban Fantasy

Blood of the EarthBlood of the Earth

by Faith Hunter
Series: Soulwood, #1

eARC, 384 pg.
Roc, 216
Read: July 5 – 8, 2016

Nell Ingram had her life turned up side down by Jane Yellowrock when she came through her land on a vampire hunt. Months later, a PsyLED team — led by good ol’ Rick LaFleur — comes to her for help and to offer her a job. Nell had been raised in a cult that seems to be involved with — on some level, anyway — with an anti-supernatural terrorist group who seem to be kidnapping local girls.

God’s Cloud of Glory Church, the cult that Nell was raised in (and that her family is still immersed in) is involved with some petty harassment of Nell — although some leaders are leaning more toward horrifying harassment. LaFleur, Paka and Pea help her get out of one tight spot. But that won’t be enough to stop them, it did however, lead to the line: “[Pea] she looked like something out of a fairy tale, one of the old stories that was fluffy on the surface but dark and bloody underneath.” Nell’s magic takes a major step further in development at that point, too.

Nell coming to grips with the fact that she has some sort of magic is the heart of the novel. Well, that and her doing a better job of leaving the cult. Technically and geographically, she’d moved on — but her mind and lifestyle are largely conditioned by the Church. Her involvement with the PsyLED team (and their crappy diet) leads to some of the most entertaining parts of the book — her introductions to Krispy Kreme donuts and pizza are fantastic.

There really aren’t that many ways that Nell and Jane are similar — they are both deliberately and stubbornly independent, they both start out not understanding really who or what they are, and both of them are really good at ignoring the one vital, pivotal and fairly obvious thing until it’s almost too late. But things kept moving well enough that I was able to ignore it (although I probably talked back at the book a lot every time this point came up).

But it’s not just about Nell — LaFluer’s got a whole team with him. While he’s prominent, he’s really a secondary character (Paka and Pea are more so). Frankly, I was relieved by that — I really expected this to be Ricky-Bo and his Amazing Friends — I would’ve read that, but I’m not sure how psyched I was for it. Instead, Nell and the others on the team are great characters to meet and spend time with — and I want to spend more time with them all. It’d take too much space to talk about the PsyLED team as individuals, so let’s leave it with the aggregate: a very promising and entertaining ensemble.

Nell’s family are a strong presence (even before we met them) and should prove to be good fodder for character growth and even future plot (I just hope it’s not a well they go back to too often). The same can be said for the rest of the world we’re introduced to here.

The plot involving the church, the terrorists, the kidnappings is pretty strong and moves well. The resolution is violent, but not as much as it would’ve been in a Yellowrock book. Nell’s magic is different (and her team uses fewer firearms and knives). I’m not sure how to talk about this pre-release, maybe in book 2, it’ll be easier. Let’s just leave it with Nell et al. deal with things in a way that’s true to the genre, but doesn’t feel like every other UF around. Nell’s what Atticus O’Sullivan might be without his sword (maybe).

There were two pretty glaring errors that I noticed: Nell at one point identifies someones actions as stemming from their being postmillennialist (I’ve never met a postmillennialist like this, I think she meant post-tribulation premillennialist) and she identifies a Biblical quotation as from Acts, when it was from Romans. There are three explanations that I can think of for this: 1. Honest mistakes that will be fixed between the ARC and official release; 2. It’s been long enough since Nell’s been involved in the cult and her memory for details like this is foggy; 3. It was a cult, and they’ve mis-educated their people. I could be convinced of #2, but it’d take some work; #1 or #3 I could completely buy.

Why do I continually underestimate Faith Hunter? It’s only been in the last few Jane Yellowrocks that I pick them up with high expectations and I came to this curious, but unsure that she could do anything distinctive from Yellowrock. That ends now — Hunter blew me away with this one, yeah, it’s in the Yellowrock ‘verse — and it fits in it — but it couldn’t be more different. I’m not sure how this is a series, it’s a great stand-alone, maybe a duology. But I don’t see how this keeps going (but Hunter’s better at this than I am, so I’m willing to believe it is one — especially with these characters). I really want to give Blood of the Earth 5 stars, but I’m going to hold off going too far in my raving over this series until I see how Hunter follows up. Which may be stupid, but it’s what makes sense to me.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC via NetGalley with major thanks to Roc, I appreciate this greatly.

N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work — I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

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