Mini-Review: Cyber Sparks by Robert Appleton

Title: Cyber Sparks
Author: Robert Appleton
Series: Cosmic Sparks #3
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: 08/27/12
Reviewed by: Sara
Summary:

My name is Allegra Mondebay, and this is the story of my last days on Earth...

Unlike my sparsely populated home, on Earth everything and everyone is plugged in. As a blacklisted model who needs to reboot my career, I can no longer resist the ultimate in virtual-reality networking: the omnipod. At first, altering the sights, sounds and scents around me seems harmless. Then I hear the voice.

Do not adjust your headset. You are in danger...

He says I must help him warn the public about the perils of the omnipod. I think he's just a hacker -- until innocent people start dying, and the police want to hold me responsible. Now, I'm on the run in a stolen shuttle, trying to figure out why he needs me. And if I don't do as he says, he'll kill the woman I love.

Mini-Review: I was really excited to read this title becasue it was fell under the Gay & Lesbian label on Netgalley. So I was a bit let down when this turned out to be a science fiction novel with just a hint of a possible F/F relationship. Although I was very intrigued by the technology in the novel and how everyone was using virtual reality to escape, the ending wasn't quite the conclusion I had hoped for. There was a bit of a cliffhanger, and the relationship is still in a fledgling stage. Even the cover gives a F/F romance vibe. All in all, this story would definitely work for fans of Sci-Fi, but would probably leave those looking for a good F/F story a little let down.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
Pace: 3 Stars
Characters: 2.5 Stars
Cover: 2.5 Stars
Overall: 2.5 Stars

Disclosure: I received an eARC of this title via Netgalley.

Review: Dark Hunt by Naomi Clark

Title: Dark Hunt
Author: Naomi Clark
Series: Urban Wolf #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 10/16/11
Reviewed by: Sara
Summary:

Ayla Hammond is taking on Paris.

Hoping for a romantic getaway in the City of Lights with her girlfriend, Shannon, she finds a city under the dark thrall of Le Monstre.

Getting caught up in mystery and murder was the last thing Ayla and Shannon expected to find in the City of Love, but as the body count grows and tension rises between Parisian werewolves and humans they find themselves stalked by an unknown terror.

What is Le Monstre and why does it make Ayla's wolf want to turn tail and run? Can it be stopped before they become its next victims?

Plot: 4 Stars
I love that this is a story about a female werewolf and her girlfriend, and it doesn't include a coming-out story or tons of gratuitous sex scenes. As a bisexual woman in a relationship with another women, I love that Ayla and Shannon's relationship is a focus without being the entire point of the novels. Instead, it is a fantastic Urban Fantasy that just so happens to include GLBT characters. This addition to the series takes place in Paris, where Ayla and Shannon have decided to take a vacation together. The vacation definitely doesn't go as planned, between dealing with a pregnant werewolf, getting caught in a fire due to people who are anti-werewolf, and being hunted by a creature so mysterious it is only known as Le Monstre. There are a lot of surprising twists and turns as Ayla and Shannon explore Paris, and I can't wait for the next novel in the series. I also really enjoyed the short story at the end because I really enjoyed reading about how Shannon and Ayla met.

Pace: 4 Stars
This was the first book I read on my Kindle. Since I was reading it as a PDF, the font was pretty small, but it didn't affect my reading at all. The story sucked me in and wouldn't let go. Once the mayhem hit Paris, there was no downtime between all of the action (although Ayla and Shannon probably could've used a little here and there). For a vacation, there wasn't much rest and relaxation. Instead, it was noon-stop action and a race for their lives against a scary creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. All in all, I'm glad this was the first book I read on my Kindle. Had I read a book that didn't hold my interest as much, it may have brought my opinion of the device down. Instead, I can't wait to read another e-book and I hope it's just as great as this one.

Characters: 4 Stars
The author's depiction of Ayla and Shannon's relationship is fantastic. They've been together for a while, and you can feel the love they have for each other as you read. I also really enjoy that it isn't a picture perfect relationship; they have their disagreements. Shannon doesn't always understand Ayla's decisions or the werewolf pack, but they try their best. I also really enjoyed the characters they met in Paris. Sun, a pregnant werewolf, waffled between wanting to be independent and needing their help. Shannon and Ayla didn't always agree on how to deal with her. Clemence was my favorite character of the book. She was a spunky little werewolf that stood up for herself and the other wolves. Although Shannon and Ayla are headed back to England, I hope Clemence makes an appearance in a future novel.

Cover: 3 Stars
This cover had aspects that worked and aspects that didn't. My favorite part of the cover is the Eiffel Tower because it tells you right away that the characters are travelling to Paris. The moon and the werewolf are great additions too, considering the novel. The purple background is a great color that seems to be showing up more and more in Urban Fantasy covers. The part of the cover that didn't work for me was the white glow around the images and the slight effect used to make the images look like they were made of light. I think it would've worked better if the images looked more realistic and were blended together a bit more cohesively. Although I like the color and font choices, I think the placement of the title and author could've been better. Overall, the cover could use a couple tweaks but it's a good edition to the series.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received an eARC of this novel for review from Queered Fiction.

Review: Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Title: Witch Eyes
Author: Scott Tracey
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: 09/08/11
Reviewed by: Sara
But the Book:

Summary:

A boy who can see the world's secrets and unravel spells with just a glance.

Braden's witch eyes give him an enormous power. A mere look causes a kaleidoscopic explosion of emotions, memories, darkness, and magic. But this rare gift is also his biggest curse.

Compelled to learn about his shadowed past and the family he never knew, Braden is drawn to the city of Belle Dam, where he is soon caught between two feuding witch dynasties. Sworn rivals Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe will use anything -- lies, manipulation, illusion, and even murder -- to seize control of Braden's powers. To stop an ancient evil from destroying the town, Braden must master his gift, even through the shocking discovery that Jason is his father. While his feelings for an enigmatic boy named Trey grow deeper, Braden realizes a terrible truth: Trey is Catherine Lansing's son... and Braden may be destined to kill him.

Plot: 3.5 Stars
There were so many reasons I wanted to read this novel. The main character of the novel is gay, instead of a smaller background character. It's a young adult novel that focuses on a male main character instead of a female. Plus, the magic and specifically Braden's witch eyes really drew me in. There are so many ways you can twist magic and wizards/witches to be your own, and the author definitely did that. I really enjoyed Belle Dam as the setting. It was a very creepy place that centered around a fued between Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe. There were a number of details about the fued that were glossed over that would've probably helped me understand things a bit more as the reader, and I hope more of these details will come out in future novels as Braden learns more about his witch eyes.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
This novel flew by as Braden ran around Belle Dam trying to learn anything he can about his witch eyes. Although there were a couple points in which Braden was in a rush, whether to get away from something or to find something else before it was too late, the novel didn't feel rushed. And the calmer scenes, like hanging out with other student at school or falling asleep after a migraine, didn't slow the book down. It felt like Belle Dam was sending Braden in circles as he tried to learn more about his abilities, and it was fun to follow him on his journey.

Characters: 4 Stars
My favorite part of this whole novel was that Braden was gay, he knew he was gay, and he wasn't ashamed of it. It was who he was, and it did not affect the majority of the story. I really liked that he had already figured everything out, it wasn't a big deal, and that this novel was not his coming out. I thought it was a bit too coincidental that Trey, the boy Braden had a crush on, just happened to also be gay. But as they got to know each other, and things weren't always perfect, the coincidental feeling went away. Trey's sister was also a very interesting character, although I wish her part could've been a bit bigger. Although everyone in town knew about the Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe rivalry, I didn't feel like I was as up to speed as the rest of the characters, so I hope more information about them and their rivalry comes out in the next novel.

Cover: 4 Stars
The eyes of the cover model really grab your attention, which makes sense due to both the title of the novel, and Braden's ability. The lightning type detail on one of the eyes gives a hint as to the powers Braden possesses, but still leaves you wondering exactly how his witch eyes work. Although floating face covers don't always work for me, I can't think of any other way to focus on the eyes. I also like that the nose and lips kind of fall away into the forest so that there is nothing to draw your attention to a different part of the cover model. The forest and the mansion below the cover model's face are creepy in all of the right ways. The colors are a bit somber, but fit the feel of Belle Dam quite well.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I borrowed this novel from the local library.

Guest Blog: Naomi Clark

Today I'd like to welcome back Naomi Clark, the author of the Urban Wolf series from QueeredFiction Press. Last February, I had the chance to review the first novel in the series, Silver Kiss, and really enjoyed it. You can read my review here. To celebrate the release of the next novel in the series, Dark Hunt, Naomi is here today to answer the question "Why werewolves?"

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A question I'm asked a lot as a writer is "why werewolves?" I've managed to sneak them into almost everything I write, including my university dissertation, and my collection of werewolf books is bordering on the ridiculous. So I thought it might be fun to try to answer that question and trace back the origins of my werewolf obsession in five steps:

Tamora Pierce. As a teenager I read and fell in love with Tamora Pierce's Immortals Quartet, about a girl who could speak to animals. The second book, Wolf Speaker, sees the heroine, Daine, living with a pack of wolves and as far as thirteen-year-old me was concerned, this was the best thing ever. I wanted to be Daine. I wanted to run with those wolves and play with those cubs. It was a source of great disappointment to me that the family cocker spaniel just wasn't interested.

Nature documentaries. We watched a lot of nature documentaries in my household, and my favourites were always about wolves and foxes. They're beautiful animals and I loved the social bonds and family ties they have. It made it very easy to anthropomorphize them for the fantasy stories I was already writing.

Little Red Riding Hood. I love fairy tales, but the one I always loved best was this one. Now, of course here the wolf is a bad guy, but that didn't make him any less fascinating to me. If anything, it made him more interesting. Am I the only one who always feels a bit sad when the huntsman kills the wolf at the end?

Angela Carter. I didn't discover Angela Carter's beautifully twisted fairy tales until I was at university, but they had a big impact on me – especially her two stories The Company of Wolves and Wolf-Alice. The Company of Wolves is a dark, fascinating reworking of Little Red Riding Hood and Wolf-Alice is about a feral child and the attempts to civilise her. It's a theme I love – the clash of wilderness and civilisation, and the werewolf encapsulates that perfectly.

WereBears. Hear me out. This isn't the most obvious connection. But you remember Care Bears, right? Well, WereBears were the anti-Care Bears? They were stuffed toys that you could flip from cute little happy bears into fanged, clawed scary bears! I had three or four growing up, and I'm pretty sure they're responsible for my love of shapeshifters. There was something very appealing about turning those cuddly little bears into fierce little monsters!

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Title: Dark Hunt
Author: Naomi Clark
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 10/17/11
Summary:

Ayla Hammond is taking on Paris.

Hoping for a romantic getaway in the City of Lights with her girlfriend, Shannon, she finds a city under the dark thrall of Le Monstre.

Getting caught up in mystery and murder was the last thing Ayla and Shannon expected to find in the City of Love, but as the body count grows and tension rises between Parisian werewolves and humans they find themselves stalked by an unknown terror.

What is Le Monstre and why does it make Ayla's wolf want to turn tail and run? Can it be stopped before they become its next victims?

Contest Time:

We're giving away plenty of swag in the DARK HUNT blog tour (http://tiny.cc/drkhunttour). There are daily ebook giveaways and hampers of goodies up for grabs at the grand finale of the tour including ebooks, limited DARK HUNT t-shirts, personal horoscopes and tarot readings by Naomi Clark, as well as postcards from Ayla, Shannon, Vince, Joel and Glory (urban wolf series characters). Leave a comment here (ask me a question; tell me about your fondest childhood memories/influences; your paranormal passions; or just say hello) with your email address to be entered. Enter at each point along the tour for more entries and more chances to win.

NAOMI CLARK

Naomi Clark lives in Cambridge and is a mild-mannered office worker by day, but a slightly crazed writer by night. She has a perfectly healthy obsession with giant sea creatures and a preference for vodka-based cocktails. When she's not writing, Naomi is probably either reading or watching 80s cartoon shows, and sometimes she manages to do all three at once. You can follow Naomi at Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/naomi_jay); Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/naomijclark) or on her Blog (http://naomijay.blogspot.com/).

Author Interview: Naomi Clark

Today I'd like to welcome Naomi Clark, who is stopping by to answer a few questions about her new Urban Fantasy release, Silver Kiss, which releases on March 1st. You can see my review here. Without further ado, here's the interview.

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Sara: How would you describe your novel, Silver Kiss, in three sentences or less, for readers who haven’t heard of it before?

Naomi: SILVER KISS is the story of Ayla, a lone wolf returning to her pack, and the problems she faces in doing so. It’s also the story of a missing teenager, a dangerous drug, and how far some people will go to destroy the relationship between humans and werewolves.

Sara: How would you describe your main characters in one sentence?

Naomi: Hmm... Plucky, determined, maybe a little dysfunctional, but definitely loyal and loving.

Sara: Did you always know you were going to write a novel with GLBT characters, or did they sneak up on you?

Naomi: In honesty, they snuck up on me. I’d never written anything with GBLT characters at the forefront before, but once I’d decided to write a story for the QUEER WOLF anthology (where WOLF STRAP, the first Ayla story was published), Ayla and Shannon very much jumped into my head, and the rest of the cast quickly followed.

Sara: In Silver Kiss, it is mentioned that werewolf birth rates are decreasing. Is natural birth between two werewolves the only way to further the species, or can humans be bitten and turned into werewolves?

Naomi: No, in the world I’ve set up, humans can’t become werewolves. You’re either born one or you’re not. (At least not in the traditional sense, or from a werewolf bite, as Ayla discovered in WOLF STRAP.) Humans and werewolves can cross-breed, but there are no guarantees that the child will be able to shapeshift. And this is going to be explored further in future books!

Sara: What made you decide to set up the pack structure in a way that is different from the typical “one alpha wolf ruling with an iron fist” fashion?

Naomi: I thought that for werewolves to realistically live alongside humans, they’d have to make some changes to their pack structure. The sort of feudal system that worked when they were undercover wouldn’t be acceptable to humans, or practical in the modern world – too brutal, not enough human rights! The alphas still have a lot of influence, and there are still occasions when that iron fist comes down, but overall the pack has a more flexible, loose structure that lets the werewolves mix more freely with humans.

Sara: Can we look forward to more books in Ayla’s world?

Naomi: Definitely! I can promise you two more books in the Urban Wolf series, and I have ideas and plans for more after that. As long as people enjoy them, I’ll be happy to write them.

Sara: Who are your greatest influences, both in and out of the Urban Fantasy genre?

Naomi: I’m a big fan of Laurell K Hamilton’s first few Anita Blake books – those were the first urban fantasy novels I read, and they definitely got me into writing it. I also love Rachel Vincent, Caitlin Kittredge, and Stacia Kane. Outside of urban fantasy, I’m a long-time fan of Angela Carter and Terry Pratchett.

Sara: What are you currently reading?

Naomi: Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk – can’t put it down! I’m so glad I have Magic in the Shadows waiting for when I’m done.

* * *

I’ve got a great contest for everyone. There’s an ebook for a winner at the end of today and everyone who enters now will also be in the running for winning a signed print copy of SILVER KISS drawn at the end of the week. Just answer this simple question in your comment to be entered into both competitions:

What are you currently reading?

Follow the SILVER KISS BLOG TOUR for more chances to win. Check out the itinerary and join me on the next step of the tour. And there are even more prizes on 1st March, the official SILVER KISS release day and I’m live for a Twitter Release Party #silverkiss.



Visit the Silver Kiss page for a reading as Naomi Clark reads from Wolf Strap! (Released in parts over the course of the blog tour!)

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Thank you so much to Naomi for coming by! And feel free to ask questions for Naomi in the comments.

To be entered into the ebook giveaway, just leave you're e-mail address in the comments. I'll pick a winner tomorrow (Thursday Feb. 25) and pass their e-mail along.

Review: Silver Kiss by Naomi Clark

Title: Silver Kiss
Author: Naomi Clark
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 03/01/10
Summary:

Ayla Hammond has come home.

After years as a lone wolf in a self-imposed exile she's rejoining the pack and trying to mend fences with her parents. She's convinced them to accept her girlfriend, but can a lone wolf change her ways?

As if homecoming wasn't hard enough, Ayla also can't help getting involved in a missing person case. With pressure to solve the case mounting from the pack alphas, Ayla is starting to question where her loyalties lie -- and if a return to the pack she left behind is really what she wants.

Plot: 4 Stars
It's been a while since I read a book with just werewolves, and it was definitely refreshing. The author takes a new approach to werewolf packs and their alphas that I really liked. I also liked the central conflict within the novel. The way the new drug on the streets, Silver Kiss, was used to bring forth the conflict was very interesting. Not many Urban Fantasy novels bring something as dark as drugs to the center, and it was a very realistic problem.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
The beginning of the novel started out a bit slow and took a couple chapters to reel me in, but once it did I was hooked. It was a bit shorter than most books I read, but it didn't feel rushed; it felt like it was the exact length it needed to be in order for the events to play out.

Characters: 4.5 Stars
As a bisexual lover of Urban Fantasy, I loved that the GLBT characters were front and center in this book. Normally, if you get a GLBT characters in this genre, they're off to the side, so this was a fresh and welcome change. I also loved the way the author portrayed the relationship between Ayla and Shannon. You could tell they had chemistry and really loved one another, without being completely consumed by one another. And I'm pretty sure this is the only UF book I've come across with a drag queen!

Cover: 3.5 Stars
I really liked the abstract feel of this cover. It was abstract enough that I could picture the main character in my head without the cover interfering, but not too abstract to not get the werewolf message across. I could definitely see myself grabbing a book with a cover like this from the shelf. The hazy, gray feel also lends itself to a major plot element, and I like when covers are specific to the book.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I received my eARC from the publisher, Queered Fiction.