Pawn by Aimée Carter

Pawn by Aimée Carter is the most plausible dystopia I've read in a long time, possibly ever. It would be easy from the blurb to dismiss it as "just another dystopian future for the USA", but I'm glad a decided to give it a shot anyway.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

You don't have to look too hard to see Pawn as a scathing indictment of American classism masquerading as a meritocracy. Really, you don't have to spend more than ten minutes on any vaguely social justice-aware Tumblr to see where Carter is drawing inspiration.

The meritocracy Kitty lives in is not really as "equal opportunity" as it is advertised to the people. Although everyone takes the same test at age 17, the rich kids get better schooling and much more support from tutors etc, while the poor kids are lucky if they get any one on one time with their teachers. Taking the same test doesn't mean much if you're not taught the same things. (And the most privileged few children don't even have to take the test to acquire their inherited ranks — the oddest thing in this universe was the dictator being an inherited prime ministership.) To compound the have/have-not gulf for Kitty is the fact that she is dyslexic. Although she is quite smart and spends extra time studying, she can't read. With no one to read the exam questions to her, she can't finish the exam in time and does not get assigned a position that would utilise all her abilities.

After luck brings her to the world of the highly-ranked (and supposedly smart), Kitty starts to see the propaganda she and other low-ranked people are taught is nothing more than that; propaganda. The world of the already privileged is completely different and practically inaccessible to lower ranks. This world probably has the most plausible links to the real world that I've come across. Although the world of, for example, The Hunger Games also has some parallels with the real world, I can't quite see it actually coming to pass, unlike Pawn, which is less of a stretch from the real world and has more parallels, albeit unsubtle ones. (Although one would hope that some aspects wouldn't literally come to pass, even in a dystopic version of present-day USA.)

Pawn was an engaging read albeit not a terribly unpredictable one. But so long as you don't mind not being surprised by world-building plot twists, you shouldn't be disappointed. And although it is very US-centric, there is a mention of the Rest of the World. Well, one country is mentioned in passing. But! The fact that the Rest of the World exists and exists as something that the US government has to bother interacting with, is definitely a plus in the scheme of recent YA dystopias.

I picked up Pawn because it looked interesting enough and the blurb had potential. I'm glad I did, because I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. This is the first book of Carter's that I've read and I will definitely be picking up the sequel, Captive, when it comes out. I highly recommend it to fans of YA dystopias and to anyone else who finds the premise interesting.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: December 2012, Harlequin Teen
Series: Yes. Book 1 of ?
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher, sort of via NetGalley

New Booksies (end of year, pre-"festive season" edition)

It's been a little too long since I last did a New Booksies (end of October!), mostly because real life concerns and deadlines swamped me more than a bit. I thought I'd better get this post in before the inevitable influx of books that comes with travelling to Australia and having access to physical bookshops. And holiday sales and whatnot.

So I suppose I'll start with review copies received.

• Shadowplay by Laura Lam (from Strange Chemistry via NetGalley), the sequel to Pantomime, which I loved, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
• Ink Black Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts (from FableCroft), already reviewed.
• The Prince of Soul and the Lighthouse by Fredrik Brounéus (from Steam Press), the extract looked promising.
• The Wind City by Summer Wigmore (also from Steam Press), looks like it contains some mythology I'm not very familiar with, so that should be an interesting read
• The Other Tree by DK Mok (from Spencer Hill Press via NetGalley), I enjoyed the author's story in One Small Step, so I have high hopes for this one.
• Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier (also from Strange Chemistry via NetGalley), interesting mythology which, again, I'm not too familiar with

And then there's the pile of books I purchased. Because I wanted to. So there.

• Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger — already reviewed
• Memory by Linda Nagata — I've enjoyed other books of hers
• Orbital Burn by KA Bedford — pre-blog I enjoyed Time Machines Repaired While U Wait
• The Far Horizon by Patty Jansen — my reviews of her other works
• Truck Song by Andrew Macrae — because Twelfth Planet Press
• Champion of the Rose by Andrea K Höst — because I think her books are pretty great (and it was on sale)
• Bones of the Fair by Andrea K Höst — sequel to the above, new release
• Caution: Contains Small Parts by Kirstyn McDermott — the latest of the Twelve Planets, finally ebookified and in my inbox (I have a subscription). ALSO this book is, according to LibraryThing, my thousandth book. Whoo?
• The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu — because it was on sale from Angry Robot and looks funny
• The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu — sequel to the above and also on sale

 

Whew! And that's what a month and a half of restrained review-copy acquisition and not-so-restrained purchasing looks like.

Cracked by Eliza Crewe

Cracked by Eliza Crewe is the author's début novel. This review contains only very minor spoilers. The blurb is rather long but relatively spoiler free (yay, Strange Chemistry has improved) so I'm including all of it here.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it.

I have to say, the opening scene did not endear me to Meda. Not because of what happened in it, but because of her internal monologue. I'm usually pretty tolerant of characters that most would consider annoying — including when they're evil — but Meda set my teeth on edge with her self-congratulatory cockiness. Also her ableist commentary didn't help, particularly in the "insane asylum" the story opened in. Although the story redeems itself later on with respect to ableism (the day is saved by the girl with the damaged leg), Meda is not (although she does become less cocky). I warn that if ableist language is something that bothers you, Cracked may not be the book to read. Personally, I put it down at the end of the opening and when I came back to it a few days later I found it much more tolerable.

As the story goes along and, especially, after the other three central characters were introduced, I found it became much more enjoyable. There was an element of humour in banter and in Meda's commentary that came out more as the story went along. The other characters, Chi, Jo and Uri really make the story. They are the driving force behind Meda's personal journey through the book.

I'm not sure I've read a book with such a marked development of character as Cracked. Meda went from barely tolerable to someone whose fate I actually cared about. Admittedly, her growth wasn't based only on events taking place in the book, but also came from coming to terms with past events, learning what she is and understanding that who she is doesn't have to be dictated by expectations. That aspect was quite fascinating. There were a lot of reasons for her and others to assume that she was evil — end of story — but there were also people who assumed the best of her and they were ultimately her salvation. If not for people believing that she could be good, Meda would never have been able to overcome her natural evil tendencies. There's a moral in there; don't assume the worst of people if you want to give them room to be their best. Like Kurt Vonnegut wrote, "We are what we pretend to be."

Although it didn't start off well, I ended up enjoying Cracked quite a bit. Although the ending didn't leave an obvious hook for the next in the series, there are a few different directions it could go in. Personally, I'm looking forward to meeting Meda again, since it will be the Meda from the end of the book. I recommend Cracked to fans of paranormal YA.

4 / 5 stars

First published: November 2013, Strange Chemistry
Series: The Soul Eaters Series, book 1 of ?
Format read: eARC
Source: Publisher, via NetGalley

The Skeleton Key by Tara Moss

The Skeleton Key by Tara Moss is the third Pandora English novel. I have previously read and reviewed (and enjoyed!) the first two books, The Blood Countess and The Spider Goddess. This review has only very minor spoilers for the earlier books.

In the third Pandora English mystery, Pandora is still negotiating her double life as a lowly assistant at a New York fashion magazine with the reality that she has great supernatural powers and responsibilities.

With the full moon set to rise once again, Pandora has a very special date looming. Her beautiful spirit guide, Civil War soldier Lieutenant Luke, will be a flesh-and-blood man, if only for the night, and she hasn't been able to stop thinking about it. But a chance encounter with playboy Jay Rockwell sees that very human attraction start all over again – even though Jay doesn't remember their previous relationship, or the fact that Pandora saved him from a gang of ill-tempered undead supermodels.

Meanwhile, Pandora – with her special skeleton key – is slowly unlocking the mysteries of the haunted mansion where she lives with her great aunt Celia. What sinister experiments did the architect Dr Edmund Barrett conduct there before he died? Where is his laboratory? And what are the strange noises emanating from the basement?

On the centenary of the mysterious fire that supposedly killed Dr Barrett, he returns to the mansion. He has a message for Pandora. But he has brought with him a dark force that threatens to tear apart the delicate balance between the worlds of the dead and living...

It's been more than a year since I read the first two books, so I may be misremembering, but I think The Skeleton Key is a little darker than its predecessors. The gist of it is much the same — Pandora dealing with New York, her fashion job, and weird supernatural things — but I thought the evil supernatural threat was a bit darker and more serious this time around. Saving the world on a larger scale, but still not too heavy a read.

Although the blurb implies a love triangle, I wouldn't say it's the kind of contrived and increasingly irritating love triangle we've come to expect from YA. (Also, this isn't YA. I'd call it "new adult" although I think the first ones were published before that was much of a thing and also my opinion of "new adult" isn't terribly high.) The crux of Pandora's love life, really, is that one guy is a ghost, and the other has no memory of their first date. Really it's more logistical, in both cases, rather than a case of "oh golly, which should I choose?" So I liked that.

Being the third in the series (although not the final, as far as I can tell/hope) is, I think, the reason the climax is rather more dramatic than the earlier books. Pandora's abilities and the trouble she gets into and has to get out of (trouble which, I should emphasise, is never her fault) has been building book by books. I think it was in book two that we learnt that Pandora is a Chosen One and it's brought up a lot in The Skeleton Key and is part of the reason (sort of) for things escalating. But I get the feeling they can escalate more, so I look forward to the next book, whenever that's written (I couldn't easily find any info on Moss's website).

I highly recommend this series to fans of not-too-heavy urban fantasy. Although I've said The Skeleton Key is darker than its predecessors, it's still on the lighter side of the urban fantasy genre, in my opinion. It builds on the earlier books more than The Spider Goddess did, so I don't recommend reading it before the others. But all in all, an enjoyable read, particularly in a week when I needed something relaxing to take my mind off business.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2012, Pan Macmillan (AU)
Series: Pandora English, book 3 of ? (three so far)
Format read: eBook
Source: Purchased from iBooks
Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge

Bookish Musings

This is a sort of pre-round up post. Life has been very crazy-busy for me lately but that should be abating now... and morphing into usual end-of-year craziness. Sigh. But at least that's less stressful and leaves more time for books.

Anyway, I have been, in what few spare moments I've had, thinking about my approach to books. The past couple of years I've been trying to not buy too many books (because I have too many) and instead rationing along the lines of "read three, buy one". This year, I added the caveat that they should be three non-review books, that is only purchased or gifted books counted. That resulted in my not actually buying very many books.

It's not that I dislike review copies or that I have any intention of ceasing to review in the near future, but I don't like that I've ended up putting off buying books that I want read. There is an element of not having enough time to read all the books I want, but it's also hard to prioritise reading a book I haven't bought yet when there are so many already waiting. (So the more I buy books I want to read, the more likely I am to get around to reading them...) And, more importantly, I like the idea of supporting authors and publishers that I think are doing good things. (Reviewing review copies is also supporting them, of course.)

So my first resolution for 2014 is to not avoid buying books. (But not necessarily to buy them rashly and willy-nilly.)

The other thing I've been doing since I started reviewing is only reviewing books that I finish. Using not having to review as a "reward" for giving up on books I'm not enjoying. And in 2013 I did not give up on any books (and in 2012 it was only a couple). Why? Because if I'm not enjoying a book it's usually for several very specific reasons that I want to complain about on my blog. And that's kind of depressing. So I've thought about it and I've decided that allowing myself to drop books I'm not enjoying will make me happier, and so will blogging about why I didn't want to keep reading them. Not forcing myself to finish every book I start is my second resolution.

In terms of blogging about the reasons, I've thought about it and I've decided that I'll start writing monthly status posts. These will include (and replace) New Booksies, books I've reviewed in the past month, and books I'm currently reading. The latter part would also include mini-reviews (or maybe not so mini, we'll see) of books I don't think I'll finish and books I've put down but do intend to return to, although whether or not I do is another matter. Oh, and I should also include challenge progress in those monthly posts.

Regarding challenges, I see no reason not to keep on with the three I've done this year (Australian Women Writers — for which I'm also a blog contributor — and the two I instigated myself: the Aussie SF Reading Challenge and the Aussie Horror Reading Challenge. Round-up posts to come). I think I'll revert to just keeping a list of books read for them, plus a list of all Aussie fantasy books, since there were some authors that were being left out. I'm a bit sick of having to remember to update the progress bars, so I think I'll drop them for now.

My final resolution is an ongoing one and relates to the previous one; to not commit myself to reading books I don't like. This mainly applies to over enthusiastic NetGalley-ing, which I have already gotten better at but I don't think I should be letting my guard down just yet. If I'm not sure and it's not Australian, then I will not click on it.

So those are my bookish plans for the upcoming year. What are yours?

In the Company of Thieves by Kage Baker (and Kathleen Bartholomew)

In the Company of Thieves is a collection of short stories and novellas by Kage Baker, set in the Company universe (link to Goodreads series page). I've previous read all the Company novels (with the exception of The Empress of Mars, which doesn't fit chronologically with the others) and as many short stories as I could easily get a hold of, which was far from all of them. As such, I was coming to this collection already knowing a lot of the Company's back story. That definitely affected my reading.

As usual, notes on each story are included at the end of the review.

The stories seem to be arranged chronologically according to history. The first four stories are probably the most accessible to readers unfamiliar with the Company. My previous knowledge informed my reading significantly, but I think the stories will still work well for new readers. I had forgotten how hilarious Kage Baker's short stories can be; the novels, which stuck more strongly in my mind, are less funny, I think. The last three stories had me laughing out loud several times.

There are two pairs of stories that go together thematically. The first pair is "The Unfortunate Gytt" and "The Women of Nell Gwynne's" both of which feature the pre-Company secret society and have a steampunk setting. The last two stories, "Rude Mechanicals" and "Hollywood Ikons", feature the same two recurring characters, Joseph and Lewis, the former of whom has several novels written about him. Both also happen to be set in Hollywood.

Reading this collection made me want to try harder to get a hold of what Kage Baker stories of the Company I haven't yet managed to. I strongly recommend this collection to fans of the Company novels or stories. To readers new to Kage Baker's work, there are worse ways be be introduced to it. Since the stories cover several characters and time periods, In the Company of Thieves will in some ways give readers a better idea of the series as a whole than a single novel covering just one setting.

~

“THE CARPET BEDS OF SUTRO PARK” — Autistic cyborg used as a camera recorder to capture San Francisco through to roughly the present from the 1800s. His love for the city and one of its inhabitants all that matters to him. Nice story.

"THE UNFORTUNATE GYTT" — A steampunk adventure to retrieve a special object. Featuring Edward and told from the point of view of a new recruit to the pre-Company secret society in Victorian England.

"THE WOMEN OF NELL GWYNNE'S" — Read before and remembered fairly well so I didn't re-read. A novella about women who serve the secret society of the previous story as spies.

"MOTHER AEGYPT" — Ultimately hilarious novella. It grew in me as I read, starting unremarkably and culminating in a pretty hilarious climax. I think there are certain extra nuances to be gained in this one for readers familiar with the Company world, but only in terms of backstory. The main story itself should be accessible (and amusing) to new readers as well as old. Although I can't say the main character was particularly likeable; a conman who, at the start, has fallen on hard times. But his plight and thought-processes are entertaining, so I didn't mind.

“RUDE MECHANICALS” — A hilarious comedy of errors following recurring cyborg characters Joseph and Lewis. Although I'd read this one before, in audiobook form, I had little memory of it (the occasional trouble with audiobooks). Lewis is working for a director in 1930s Hollywood and Joseph is trying to preserve a certain piece of treasure for their future overlords. The universe is against Joseph, however, and everything that can go wrong does, and he drags Lewis into his mess.

"HOLLYWOOD IKONS" — This story, if I interpret the foreword correctly, was researched and planned by Kage Baker but finished by her sister, Kathleen Bartholomew, after her death. The very start of this one didn't grab me because the voice did not sound like the Joseph I remembered. Also, it included more of a introduction to Dr Zeus than any of the other stories and that felt odd in the last story of the collection. But once the plot got started I was sucked in, particularly once the humour kicked in. In a way, it's another comedy of errors, but less so than the previous story. In this one, the errors mostly occurred in the past and Joseph, with a bit of help from Lewis, has to put everything right. Although I was sceptical at the start as to whether I would enjoy reading any other incomplete-at-death Kage Baker stories, this one ultimately convinced me to at least give another one a shot, should it come up. It also had me shaking my fist at cancer for taking her away too soon.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: November 2013, Tachyon Publications
Series: The Company. Accompanying short stories.
Format read: eARC
Source: The publisher via NetGalley

Ink Black Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Ink Black Magic by Tansy Rayner Roberts is the third book in her Mocklore Chronicles but is written to be accessible to readers who have not read the first two books. I personally read book one, Splashdance Silver, about a decade ago and have only dim recollections of it. I don't think I ever got the chance to read the second book, Liquid Gold, back then either. So rather than re/reading the first two books before starting the third, I thought I'd approach it by itself to see how well it stands alone.

 Kassa Daggersharp has been a pirate, a witch, a menace to public safety, a villain, a hero and a legend. These days, she lectures first year students on the dangers of magic, at the Polyhedrotechnical in Cluft.

Egg Friefriedsson is Kassa's teenage cousin, a lapsed Axgaard warrior who would rather stay in his room and draw comics all day than hang out with his friends. If only comics had been invented.

Aragon Silversword is missing, presumed dead.

All the adventures are over. It's time to get on with being a grownup. But when Egg's drawings come to life, including an evil dark city full of villains and monsters, everyone starts to lose their grip on reality. Even the flying sheep.

Kassa and Egg are not sure who are the heroes and who are the villains anymore, but someone has to step up to save Mocklore, one last time.

It's easy to compare every comic fantasy book to Terry Pratchett. When I read Splashdance Silver, I think I remember comparing it to the earliest two Discworld books (The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic). In the case of Ink Black Magic, I can honestly say that only the start — the set up for the rest of the story — put me in mind of Pratchett. And not early Pratchett either, more like middle Pratchett, with Moving Pictures springing to mind as an obvious comparison (with bonus thematic parallels). But once the story in Ink Black Magic really gets going, it becomes very much Tansy-ish and not at all Pratchettesque.

The initial premise is that Egg starts drawing the first comics in Mocklore, and then his dark city that needs hero-saving comes to life and tries to take over the world. (See what I mean?) I found the introduction of Egg and Clio to be a compelling hook, more so than when we first meet Kassa Daggersharp, the heroine of the previous books. I have to emphasise that this was a personal reaction because I couldn't remember why I should like Kassa — due to not remembering the earlier book sufficiently well — but that quickly evaporated once Kassa started being awesome (ie pretty much straight away).

One of the interesting aspects of Ink Black Magic was the structure of the narrative. Instead of the story building up to one obvious climax from the very start, the nature of what the world needed saving from changed several times throughout. The problem was never quite what it seemed, taking the story from "oh, no, doom!" to "well that doom's gone away" to "oh dear, a different doom a-cometh". This is one of the main things (along with the characters and humour) which sets it apart from other books. I ultimately enjoyed the form, although it was a little disconcerting at times not to be able to accurately guess what was going to happen next. (That feeling might come from having read a little too much YA of late...)

Anyway, Ink Black Magic was a fun read and I definitely intend to go back and re/read the first two books. Although that will be interesting since Rayner Roberts' style has definitely changed between Splashdance Silver and the Creature Court trilogy. I was about to say that Ink Black Magic lies somewhere in between — which it does — but it occurs to me that it's not actually that far from A Trifle Dead, except in location. (And of course I'm overlooking a lot of short stories in this comparison as I've only read some.)

So I would recommend Ink Black Magic to all fans of comic fantasy and anyone who has enjoyed the author's work in the past. As should surprise no one, I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her future works.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: October 2013, FableCroft Publishing
Series: Mocklore Chronicles, book 3 of 3 (but can be read without reading the earlier books)
Format read: e-review copy
Source: the lovely publisher
Challenges: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013

Path of Night by Dirk Flinthart

Path of Night by Dirk Flinthart is the author's longest published work (ie first novel) to date. I'm sure I've read some of his short stories before, but apparently not since I started reviewing here. Blurb:

Michael Devlin is the first of a new breed. The way things are going, he may also be the last.

Being infected with an unknown disease is bad. Waking up on a slab in a morgue wearing nothing but a toe-tag is worse, even if it comes with a strange array of new abilities.

Medical student Michael Devlin is in trouble. With his flatmates murdered and an international cabal of legendary man-monsters on his trail, Devlin's got nowhere to hide. His only allies are a hot-tempered Sydney cop and a mysterious monster-hunter who may be setting Devlin up for the kill. If he's going to survive, Devlin will have to embrace his new powers and confront his hunters. But can he hold onto his humanity when he walks the Path of Night?

Path of Night follows Devlin, a med student with bad luck. After being murdered and coming back from the dead, he discovers that a) he needs to eat a lot of food now, b) he has super senses and super speed and c) a bunch of people are trying to kill him. His side of the story is very much centred about not dying and getting through the day.

The other point of view character is Jen, a Sydney cop who starts out investigating the homicide Devlin was caught up in. From her point of view we see a bit of police internal politics, some investigation and then, well, then the story catches up with Devlin and everything gets a bit crazy.

The pacing in this novel is brilliant. It's not a short read, but even though it took me a while to get through (because life etc) it was sufficiently well-paced that it felt like it would be a quick read. It wasn't all action all the time, but there was never a dull moment. I felt I always wanted to know what happened next, even when the point of view switched away from Devlin and Jen to the characters on the other side of the equation.

This is the first book in a series, and I have to admit I wasn't sure how it would play out, in terms of setting up the next book, until I got to the end. It didn't really feel like a book one, and I say that in the best possible way. I wasn't sure who would survive or in what form the series would continue (until the end when the premise of the next book was seemingly set up).

I also loved that it was set in Sydney. Living overseas as I am for the time being, I have been really appreciating books with Australian settings. Particularly ones which feel authentic, as Path of Night does (occasional references to "sidewalks" notwithstanding). I kind of want to take a tour of those tunnels next time I'm in Sydney. I wouldn't have known they existed otherwise. The tourism bureau should pay Flinthart a commission. ;-)

Path of Night was an excellent read and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book and anything else I see of the author's. I highly recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and contemporary horror, especially the more action-filled variety. Readers looking for an Australian setting (or a non-US setting, heh) are also advised to give Path of Night a shot.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: October 2013, FableCroft Publishing
Series: yes. Night Beast book 1 of ?
Format read: eARC
Source: The lovely publisher
Challenges: Aussie Horror Reading Challenge

The Beckoning by Paul Collins

The Beckoning by Paul Collins is a contemporary horror novel set in Warrnambool and Melbourne. Featuring a satanic cult, lots of psychic weirdness and plenty of death. Blurb:

When evil intent is just the beginning...

Matt Brannigan is a lawyer living on the edge. His daughter, Briony is psychic and trouble shadows his family wherever they go.

Cult guru Brother Desmond knows that the power within Briony is the remaining key he needs to enter the next dimension. Once he controls this, he will have access to all that is presently denied him.

When Briony is indoctrinated into the Zarathustrans, Matt and psychic Clarissa Pike enter the cult’s headquarters under the cover of night to rescue her.

So begins Armageddon…

This book was not for me. Followers of this blog will probably have noticed my quest to read more Australian horror books. For the most part, that's been a successful venture and I've read some excellent books. In general, they've been more subtle than The Beckoning, which was competently written, but the content was not my thing. I have to admit, it was the kind of thing I was into in my early teens but apparently not so much any more. Ultimately, I found the exciting bits dull and the horrific bits uninteresting. I strongly suspect others' mileage will vary.

The Beckoning is written in omniscient third person. There was more head-hopping than I'm used to, but I have to say it was done well and I was generally not confused about who was thinking what. However, I was slightly confused at the start as to who the main characters were. Because it took me a while to work out, I didn't feel very attached to anyone which, unfortunately, made their life-threatening situations less exciting.

I did like that it was set in Australia — I've been particularly enjoying Australian-set books of late — although I was a bit disappointed to see it "translated" into American English. It's jarring to see an Australian teenager talking about her "cell" phone. Of course, that's less of an issue with the book itself and more the (location of the) publisher.

As I've said, this book was not for me, but I think people into psychic antichrist cult type books will enjoy it. And I think it would probably work as a movie. Fans of straightforward horror, with violence, creepy cult leaders and potentially world-ending doom will probably enjoy this one more than I did.

3 / 5 stars

First published: September 2013, Damnation Books
Series: Don't think so.
Format read: e-Review Copy
Source: A bit convoluted, but the author via a mutual friend
Challenges: Aussie Horror Reading Challenge

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger is the sequel to Etiquette and Espionage which I read and reviewed earlier in the year. They are part of the Finishing School series, which is set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate books, but twenty-five years earlier. I would recommend reading Etiquette and Espionage first, if you haven't already (just in general, everyone should read it), but although there's an over-arching plot, each book so far also has a very self-contained main plot.

The basic premise of the series is that the main character, Sophronia, attends a special finishing school where, while learning proper etiquette, the girls also learn how to become spies. And of course, nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems. Blurb:

Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

I loved all of Gail Carriger's other books, and this latest instalment is no exception. I pretty much inhaled it in a day and after a trying week+, it was exactly what I needed. Carriger's customary wit had me laughing out loud several times, and miscellaneous adorableness — like Bumbersnoot, Sophronia's mechanimal dog, about whom I'd forgotten — made me happy.

One of my favourite aspects of this book (among many favourite aspects), was the tantalising ties to the Parasol Protectorate books. We have more hints about how the main cast characters, Vieve and Sidheag, end up where they do in the later series. Not that Sidheag's future/history are a great mytery, but I was delighted by Vieve's trajectory in this book. Other favourite characters from the Parasol Protectorate books made an appearance, including Lord Akeldama, which was particularly well-done from the perspective of someone who's read the later books. I suspect that, while his appearance might have greater impact on readers familiar with Carriger's world, it will still be amusing to new readers. Or at least, I hope so, because those scenes were among the funniest.

On the topic of linking Curtsies and Conspiracies to other books, the overarching plot becomes apparent in this second volume and it successfully whetted my appetite for the next book, not that it needed extra whetting. With new mysteries for Sophronia to discover and solve, building on the previous book, the trajectory for the next couple of volumes. (I note her website lists two more titles in the series: Waistcoats & Weaponry and Manners & Mutiny, albeit with undetermined release dates.)

This is a book I would recommend to all Carriger fans. If you've already enjoyed any of her other books (and particularly Etiquette and Espionage), then reading Curtsies and Conspiracies/the Finishing School series should be a no-brainer. For readers new to her work, I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series, but highly recommend it to fans of Steampunk, Victorian England and witty comedy. Or any one of the three.

5 / 5 stars

First published: November 2013, Hachette
Series: Finishing School book 2 of (at least) 4
Format read: eBook
Source: purchased from iBooks