Book Review: The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Lost Prince (Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin TEEN
Release Date: 10/23/2012
ISBN: 0373210574





If you've read the previous books in the Iron Fey series, you need to read this book. If you haven't, I'll be blunt and say that this probably won't be the best book to start off with. Since this is the start of a new arc within the series there is a little going back over of back story to where you might not be completely lost, but you'll definitely feel like you missed out on a huge chunk of story. This means that you won't enjoy it as much otherwise.

Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them. 

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’s dare to fall for. 

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten. 

My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.

I have to say that I'm glad that the story changed narrators. I liked Meghan and she was a likable heroine, but I'll admit that I was getting a little tired of her at times and I wanted to see a fresh angle for this story from another mortal's eyes. I know that Iron Knight was Ash's story, but I wasn't as happy with that as I wanted to be. We're given new characters, new situations, and best of all: new fae. Ethan is a moody and sometimes bullheadedly stubborn character. You won't know whether you want to smack him upside the head or agree with him. He's a jerk to a good many people, but for pretty good reason. Ethan hasn't had it easy since his sister took off to be the Iron Queen. (Although neither has she, I'd wager.)

Kenzie, his potential love interest in the book is nice, although at times Kagawa is a little overly obvious that she has A Hidden Secret about her that will eventually be revealed. No worries though, as it actually explains a lot about some of the character's drive throughout the novel, even though I was expecting it to be slightly different. Also given a fair amount of time to shine is a new character, Kierran. Readers will be able to guess at his part in the story and why he's associating with Ethan somewhat easily, but the point of this is less to surprise the reader and more to set up the plot for the next book. (I can't say much without spoiling this, but there's been forshadowing about this previously in the series.)

I'll admit that occasionally there were some things in here that kept it from being absolutely perfect. Every once in a while I got a little impatient because things seemed to take a little longer than I'd like and sometimes the characters just seemed a little overly quick to jump to one thing or another. Despite her later reveals, Kenzie just seemed to jump to certain choices a little quickly, although I'm sure that this will probably be a plot point further in the series. This isn't really any big failing on Kagawa's part, mind you. This is the type of thing that I feel is completely subjective to the reader in this case.

Overall this book is pretty freaking nifty. It's a marked improvement over Iron Knight and I found it really, really hard to put this book down once I started reading it. If not for the demands of work and non-book life, I'd probably have devoured this in one sitting. This is an absolute must read for anyone who loved the earlier books in the series. It just stinks that now we have so long to wait until the next book in the series comes out. (Although on a positive note, 2013 will have us receiving book 2 in both this new arc as well as in Kagawa's Blood of Eden series. So the wait will be rewarded greatly.)

4 out of 5 stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Comic review: Infected #1 by Scott Sigler

Title: Infected (1 of 5)
Author: Scott Sigler
Artist: Chad Minshew
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release Date: OUT NOW







If you haven't read Scott Sigler's book version of Infected, you're missing out. No worries, you don't have to have read the book before picking up the graphic novel but like any book to comic adaptation, you can only translate so much between mediums.

Let me just say that so far, issue one was fantastic. No, it was more than that. It's fucking fantastic.

The artwork here is really terrific and overall Sigler's story translates very well to graphic novel format. There's a wonderfully slow buildup of dread here that fans of the full length novel will really appreciate. Now if you're the type who loves a little of the old "ultra-violence" from the start, you'll love the direction that this series will eventually go towards. You'll also appreciate the short scene of carnage in this issue.

Parents, if you don't want your kids to read about blood, violence, and things along those lines, you'll want to skip this series if you or they are overly sensitive. Perry's big finale at the end of the book will have you wincing. That said, I feel that as long as you read this along with them (and you will/should want to read it because it's Scott Freaking Sigler) there won't be too much here for you to quibble at.


Five out of five stars

(Purchased this wif my own money. Gotta keep our FDO producing, after all.)

Manga Review: Oreimo by Tsukasa Fushimi and Sakura Ikeda

Title: Oreimo Vol 1
Authors: Tsukasa Fushimi, Sakura Ikeda
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: Not soon enough 9/18/2012
ISBN: 1595829563






If you're a manga fan, odds are you've heard of this manga under the fan translation title of My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute. If you haven't (but are still a manga fan) then you really ought to check this out. It's quite possibly one of my personal "most anticipated" manga releases for fall 2012 aside from more Sailor Moon and volume 13 of the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. (Incidentally, KCDS is also available from Dark Horse and is freaking awesome if you like mystery/thriller/horror manga.) It's one of my "must buy" releases for the fall.

High-school student Kyousuke doesn't get along with his cranky, dismissive, and secretive fourteen-year-old litter sister Kirino, but he suddenly finds himself forced to protect Kirino's secrets--she's not only a gorgeous fashion model, a track star, and an accomplished student, but she's also obsessed with naughty video games and little kids' fantasy anime! How can Kirino maintain her complicated lifestyle--and how can Kyousuke maintain his sanity? And might the tow of them, some how, just maybe, ever become friends?

This really has to be one of the cuter mangas out there and at only four volumes, it isn't going to break your bank account to collect them. Oreimo's primary charm is that it doesn't try to go too overboard with very much and lets the story unfold as it will. You just can't help but be charmed by the various characters here. I have to say that it's fairly easy for me to get interested with any manga that deals with otaku life, especially when it tries to take a look at the social stigma that being an otaku still has in Japan. (Especially if you're female.) Oreimo's primary goal is to entertain so there's still quite a bit of comedy in what it does, but there's also a good dollop of drama sprinkled within.  There is a bit of fanservice here and there that's a little naughty, but overall it's rather innocent.

The only thing that might give some pause is the relationship between Kirino and Kyousuke. She has a bit of a fixation on incest manga, anime, and games, which brings up the question as to whether or not there will be anything going on between the two of them. If you're someone who likes to avoid this subject matter, rest easy. To my knowledge there's no incest and the relationship between the two of them is predominantly that of two siblings reconnecting with each other.

Overall I really enjoyed this and I also enjoyed the letters column in the back of the manga run by the fictional Saori. It's a nice touch and one that I'm sure others will enjoy. One change I noted with this volume is that Dark Horse included their translation notes in the actual manga pages (akin to how other companies do it). It threw me a little, as I'm used to them collecting them all in the back of the book, but not something that would disrupt my read. Again, this is something that is on my "to buy" list for my fall and if you're looking for something cute, it should be on your "to buy" and/or "to read" lists as well. I can only hope that if we're lucky, a company will put out the light novels that this series is based on as well.

Five out of five stars

(ARC provided by Netgalley)

Audio Review: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Title: Second Grave on the Left
Author: Darynda Jones
Publisher: MacMillan Audio
Release Date: August 16, 2011
ISBN: 1427212430






Why for the love of all things urban fantasy is Darynda Jones relatively unknown in comparison to some of the others out in the genre? Her books are fantastic and it’s honestly a crying shame that her books on the shelves (electronic or otherwise) of more people.


Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans



When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

Here is your signpost for the most hilarious read of the summer: Second Grave On The Left.

I really enjoyed First Grave on the Right, but I was in for a treat when I checked out the audiobook from my library. Lorelei King does an excellent job of narrating the story and capturing the various accents, personalities, and tones of the various characters. Her Reyes is to die for. (And Charlie almost does at least a number of times before the end of the book.)

The plot is also excellent. The whodunit in this book is rather well done and left me guessing until the very end. It’s one of many threads in the story, all of which I thought were juggled pretty well for the most part. I admit that the murder mystery of the book occasionally tended to take more of a backseat to the Reyes story line at times, but I have to admit that I preferred that. The Reyes stuff was just too interesting, especially the Internet fan club stuff.

This is an absolute must read for fans of urban fantasy. Unless the author pulls a complete 180 in the next few books or tries to drag this out until 450 books ala Laurell K Hamilton, this will probably be one of my faves.

Four out of Five stars

Comic Review: Empowered Volume 7 by Adam Warren

Title: Empowered Volume 7
Author: Adam Warren
Publisher: Dark Horse 
Release Date: May 30, 2012
ISBN: 1-59582-884-2





I have to say, with all of the various big and little screen adaptations, I'm a little surprised that nobody has thought to option this series. While the idea of a female superhero being easily disrobed might give some pause, there's a lot to this series that merits a deeper look.

This really was an amazing volume. We get a deeper look into Ninjette's psyche and background here, which shows us that she's far from the cute little sidekick-type character that she initially felt like. Emp is more of a background character in this volume, which took me a while to get used to. She's easily one of my favorite characters in the series, although a volume focusing around Ninjette has been a long time coming. We get to see exactly how awful her home life was, which was pretty awful. We also get a brief look into Oyuki's past as well, and let's just say that she had it pretty bad as well.

I have to say that my absolute favorite chapter in this book had to be the bath scene between the Caged DemonWolf and Ninjette. It's probably one of the most tender scenes I've seen in the series so far, not to mention a little romantic. This might be a little spoilerish, but it's revealed in the first few pages that much like the aliens in Slaughterhouse Five, the CDW is capable of viewing all of the various points in time at any given moment. What this will mean for future volumes is unknown, but I had to give Warren props for bringing this in. It's a nice touch and brings more oomph to the CDW's character.

I'm somewhat looking forward to the next volume, as it looks like it's going to bring a lot of various issues to a head. I'm a little worried that this might mean more bodies hitting the floor, but the story is so engaging at this point that I can't help but feel frustrated that it's going to be at least another 1-2 years before the next volume is released. (There are scenes that Warren cut out of this volume that he'll put in the next volume, so here's hoping that this means that volume 8 will be released sooner!)

If you've been following the series, you HAVE to get this volume. It's worth it.


5 out of 5 stars