ARC Review: Spirit Dances by C. E. Murphy

Spirit Dances
Author: C. E. Murphy
Publication: Luna; Original edition (March 22, 2011)


Description: For Seattle detective Joanne Walker, spring is about new beginnings. She's mastered her shamanic abilities (mostly), survived a cannibalistic serial killer (barely) and now she's facing the biggest challenge of her career—attending a dance concert with her sexy boss, Captain Michael Morrison. But when the performance—billed as transformative—actually changes her into a coyote, she and Morrison have bigger things to deal with.


And there's more. Homeless people are disappearing, a mystical murder puts Joanne way out of her jurisdiction and with the full moon coming on, it's looking like the killer is a creature that can't possibly exist.


But Jo could probably handle all of that, if one ordinary homicide hadn't pushed her to the very edge….


My Thoughts: This was another action packed episode in Joanne Walker's life. She begins by dealing with having to shoot a suspect in a domestic violence case in order to protect her partner. This causes trauma because it pits her healer side against her warrior side. It also leads to a three day suspension which gives her lots of time to investigate crimes outside of her jurisdiction. A formerly homeless woman whose life Joanne saved comes to her with a gift - theater tickets to a Native American Dance Troup - and a problem - some of her homeless friends are disappearing. 


Joanne and Morrison go to the dance and find themselves front and center at a magically arranged murder. Joanne and Morrison's relationship is still very tentative with Joanne constantly embarrassing herself by letting her mouth work before her brain engages. The relationship is actually kind of touching. I like that Joanne is not completely confident and not at all suave. She knows she is still learning about her magic and herself. 


I liked Joanne's relationship with her mentor Coyote and her spirit animals Raven and Rattlesnake. Joanne makes some big personal changes in this story.  This is the sixth in the series. Somehow, I managed to miss four and five but this one was completely understandable and I am very eager to catch up on the series. 


I recommend this one to lovers of urban fantasy who enjoy self-deprecating heroines. 


Favorite Quote:

I was right about getting up high to have a look around not being sufficient as a tracking method. Well, I lived and I learned. Though more accurately I got stabbed, beaten up, rolled over, hung out to dry and learned, but at least I was learning.

Book Beginning & Friday 56: Spirit Dances by C. E. Murphy

Happy Friday everybody!!

Book Beginnings

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages.  

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 

If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice
• Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice
• Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

My closest book this week is Spirit Dances by C. E. Murphy. This is the sixth book in the Walker Papers urban fantasy series. Joanne Walker is a police detective and shaman. The series explores her journey to learn about her magic and recounts her encounters with a variety of magical creatures and problems.


Beginning:

"Walker, Holliday, you're up. Homicide in Ballard, probably domestic violence. Be there yesterday."

Page 56, sentence 5:

I knew my last name. I really did. It was just that the one on my birth certificate and the one I used in day-to-day life weren't the same.

Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches
Author: Deborah Harkness
Publication: Viking Adult (February 8, 2011)


Description: A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. 

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.


My Thoughts: It is hard to know where to begin talking about this amazing book. At first I was intimidated by its large size and dense print. But once I began it, I hated the idea of having to stop reading for unimportant things like eating, sleeping, and working. I was swept away into the life of a young woman from a heritage filled with witches who has been trying to deny that she has any abilities. She has carved out a life as a noted scholar who studies the history of science and particularly alchemy.


Her life changes beyond her wildest dreams when she calls up a book from the Bodleian Library that has been lost for centuries and has been sought after by both vampires and witches. She meets Matthew Clairmont who is a vampire and also a noted scholar at Oxford. At first she resents his interference in her life (and she has been taught that vampires and witches should never mix). He soon becomes the one person that she can trust as her life becomes chaotic.


I loved the relationship between Diana and Matthew as they got to know each and trust each other and fall in love. I also liked the historical detail and rich language in the story. I liked the references to real world books and real world characters. I liked the supernatural world that Ms. Harkness created with vampires and witches and daemons. The complex balance of power especially between the witches and the vampires made very compelling reading.


The book is filled with a large number of well-developed characters including Diana's two aunts and Matthew's mother and son. I would be eager to read more about all of their stories. The villains were very nicely creepy and scary.


I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from the author. This book was not an easy or a quick read but it was a very rewarding read for the patient reader. The ending wasn't a cliffhanger exactly but I know there is more story out there and can't wait to read it.


Favorite Quote:

Gripping the trays edges to steady myself, I abruptly sat down.


The metal disks weren't coins or metals. They were seals--the kind used to close official correspondence and certify property transactions. A wax impression attached to an ordinary piece of paper could once have commanded armies to leave a field or auctioned off great estates.


Based on the residue, at least one seal had been used recently.

Review: Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape

Steam & Sorcery
Author: Cindy Spencer Pape
Publication: Carina Press (March 7, 2011)


Description: Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.


Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.


When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...


My Thoughts: This was a wonderful historical paranormal romance. I liked the time period in the story. Victoria was queen, Albert was still alive, and England was a bustle of invention and innovation. Add to that magick, vampyres, werewolves and a heroine who is part fairy and you have a wonderful mixture of romance and magic. 


Sir Merrick finds himself the guardian of five gifted children after they assist him when he is attacked by vampyres. The oldest is Tommy who is the illegitimate son of another knight and who shows strong knightly powers. Wink is the oldest girl. She is a mechanical genius. Nell sees ghosts and young Jamie has visions of the future. The other child is Piers who is a capable pickpocket and able to open locks quickly. Civilizing this mixed group of children won't be easy.


Caroline is up for that task but is wary about taking a job in a single gentleman's household. She is too young and attractive and has been hunted and harassed by previous employers. Meeting the children convinces her that she is needed and the respectful treatment she gets from Merrick seals the deal. 


Their romance grows naturally from shared experiences and proximity. They are both attracted to each other and, at first, try to keep their distance. Meanwhile, Sir Merrick is investigating a problem of vampyres starting to congregate and someone stealing secret plans to make it possible for vampyres to blend into human society unnoticed. He is investigating the theft of parts from various Babbage engines and fears that the villains are getting ready to build their own machine to make the formula real. 


This was exciting and cozy at the same time. I liked the interaction of all the family members. I liked the slowly building romance. I recommend the book to lovers of romance and the paranormal.


Favorite Quote:

The barest brush of skin against skin burned like an electrical shock. This wasn't faery magic or a Knight's power, but the raw, elemental earth magick of make and female.

Teaser Tuesday: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from the amazing A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I loved the story of the reluctant witch and the handsome and dangerous vampire. I loved the reference to a number of historical figures and the history of science. I skim the surface of the topic with my fifth graders and was glad to see some familiar names.


Here is the product description:
A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. 

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.


Here is my teaser: 

"You were right," I blurted, needing to make my own confession before tackling the subject of Knox. "I've never kept the magic out of my life. I've been using it in my work, without realizing it. It's in everything. I've been fooling myself for years." The words tumbled from my mouth. Matthew remained focused on the traffic. "I'm frightened."

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (March 21, 2011)

It's Monday, What are you reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

  

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I had a good week this week. The weather was acceptable. The Braves were on MLB.TV a couple of times. I had my taxes done and the State and Federal governments both owe me money. And I read some good books. 


I'm preparing this on Saturday night because tomorrow I get to go to a Timberwolves game with 90 other people mostly 6th and 7th graders who won tickets to the game by completing the Timberwolves Read to Achieve Contest. Luckily, we have a nice assortment of parents going along too. We will be leaving in two coach buses at noon and returning home some time in the neighborhood of 8 PM. I'm bringing my Kindle and hope to get a lot of reading done on the bus rides. 

And now, have you seen this quiz? Here is what I learned:

You Are an eBook

You are ultra modern and cutting edge. You don't want to have to wait for anything if you don't have to.

You love technology, and you always are up for trying out the latest and greatest gadget.


Your tastes tend to fall outside the mainstream. You often can't find what you're looking for at a regular store.
You aren't the most patient person in the world. If you see something you want, you've got to have it as soon as possible! 

Well, maybe. It is actually a pretty good description of me as a reader. But I also love hardcover books, paperbacks and ARCs.

Last week I read:

I read The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason. This is a historical fiction/vampire story that will be coming out from Harlequin on March 29. I had the eARC from NetGalley. It was very entertaining. It also begins a series. I have The Vampire Dimitri on my Kindle waiting its turn in the queue. My review is here.

Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape is also an ebook. It is published by Carina Press and is also a historical fiction/paranormal. I really liked this romance between a Knight of the Round Table who, in Victorian England, is a magic user who polices other magic users and the governess he hires to take care of his five wards. She just happens to be part fairy. Great romance. My review will be posted on March 23.

Also on the Kindle, I read a free bonus story called Fallen from Grace by M. J. Putney. This story is in her Dark Mirror world and gives background on the love interest of that story's main character. I have a few other bonus stories on the Kindle and plan to do a group review when I have read them and the books that go with them.

Skyblaze by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is the annual Christmas chapbook that the authors do each year. This year the story was delayed because Steve had a number of serious medical problems. This tells the story of a peripheral character in the Liaden Universe books. It gives us a look at Surebleak from the underside and tells us about a character who got caught in the chaos that was Korval. It made me want to re-read all of my Liaden Universe books really soon.

I finished my week by reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I was originally intimidated by the sheer size of this tome -- 579 pages. But once I began it, I didn't want to stop reading for anything so mundane as eating, sleeping, or working. I really enjoyed it. I liked the story of a scholar who had been used to hiding her heritage as a hereditary witch and the vampire she meets and falls in love with. It all starts when Diana finds a magical book and all sorts of witches and vampires have their own notions of what should be done with it and are willing to go to great lengths to have their viewpoints prevail. Caution: it does end on a major cliffhanger. I can't wait for more books to be published. My review will be posted on March 24.

I am currently reading:

The Fires Beneath the Sea by Lydia Millet. This is a middle grade book that I received as a part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The book won't be published until mid-May but I wanted to read it now because I won it in the January batch of books. The book I won in February just arrived and I don't want them to pile up.

Next week:

I have two more adult review books that will be published in March. I have Spirit Dances by C. E. Murphy on my Kindle from Luna Books via NetGalley.

I also won Night Road by Kristin Hannah from a sweepstakes at Shelf Awareness. 

These are young adult books that I have for review that I need to read soon.

Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish will be published on April 1. I have the Adobe Digital Editions file on my computer from NetGalley.

Angel Burn by L. A. Weatherly won't be published until May but my Adobe Digital Edition is going to expire in 22 days. I need to read it soon too.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks will be published on April 4. That one is one my Kindle.

Analyzing my last week and upcoming reads, I find that four out of five of next week's books are ebooks and three out of five of last week's books were ebooks. I guess I do read a lot of ebooks. What about you? What did you read last week and what's on the stack for this week?

In My Mailbox (March 20, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

 

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This was another packed mailbox sort of week for me. 

I am a big fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and the True Blood television show. I had to get the True Blood graphic novel. All Together Now is by Alan Ball. I saw a great review of India Black by Carol K. Carr a while ago and decided that I just had to have it. I also saw a great review of Tall, Dark, and Deadly by Lorie O'Clare and thought I would try that one too.

I have Ascension: A Dark Breed Novel by Sable Grace, The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason, and When You Dare by Lori Foster for review from NetGalley. 

I added these free books to my Kindle this week. Dragons, Spaceships, and Evil Corporations is a sampler of April - June releases by Orbit books. Wild Desire by Lori Brighton just looked like a nice historical romance. Trey: Red, Hot & Blue by Cat Johnson caught my attention because of the great cover. 

I also received Desperate Desires by Terri Wolffe for review and because I am going to be part of her blog tour in April. It is a "sweet and spicy novella." Of Dukes and Deceptions by Wendy Soliman was also a nice looking historical romance. 

Those were the additions to my mailbox this week. What did you get?