This is just a quick note to say that I will be blacking out Read All Over Reviews tomorrow from 8AM EST to 8PM EST in support of Strike Against SOPA. I apologize for any inconvenience but this is a cause I firmly believe in.
Thanks!
This mesmerizing novel debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list and became an international phenomenon with major publications following in 34 countries. This summer, Warner Brothers acquired screen rights to A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES and its sequels. With over 300,000 copies sold, this was truly the “it” book of early 2011, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the second installment in the All Souls Trilogy, Shadow of Night, due out in summer 2012.
For more information about the book and what Deborah Harkness has been up to, you can check out her website here or her facebook page here. Also, check out this new video sponsored by Harkness’s UK publisher which features Harkness giving a walking tour of Oxford with commentary about her inspiration for the book.
About the book: 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.
Thanks to Lindsay at Penguin we are able to offer a copy for one lucky Read All Over Reviews reader to win. TO ENTER: 1) Read our giveaway rules, 2) check to see that you haven’t won a giveaway from us in 30 days, and then 3) comment below with your email address. Contest is open for US and Canada only.
Awakenings by Edward Lazellari. © 2011 Tor Books. ISBN 9780765327871. Hardback. Urban Fantasy. 348 pages. Source: review copy furnished by the publisher.
“Cal MacDonnell is a happily married New York cop with a loving family. Seth Raincrest is a photographer whose self-involved nature has alienated even his closet friends. They have nothing in common—except that they suffer from retrograde amnesia. It’s as if they just appeared out of thin air thirteen years ago, and nothing has been able to restore their memories. Now that forgotten past has caught up to them with a vengeance. Cal and Seth’s lives are turned upside down as they are stalked by otherworldly beings who know their past identities, intent on killing them and anyone who gets in their way. In the balance hangs the life of a child who might someday restore a broken empire to peace and prosperity.” – except of jacket blurb
My Review -
Cal is a cop who despite not having a memory passed the last thirteen years has managed to create a beautiful life with a great job, loving wife and beautiful daughter. Seth has the same amnesiac problem, but unlike Cal, has never managed to put his life together: Seth works as an amateur pornographer who has no lasting relationships outside of that with his pet cat. Cal and Seth soon find themselves with common enemies—the magic-wielding, “we want to kill you” kind of enemies. Read more
Children of Paranoia (Children of Paranoia, #1) by Trevor Shane. © 2011 Dutton Books. ISBN 9780525952374. Trade Paperback. Dystopian/Thriller. 384 pages. Source: ARC provided by the publishers.
“Since the age of eighteen, Joseph has been assassinating people on behalf of a cause that he believes in but doesn’t fully understand. The War is ageless, hidden in the shadows, governed by a rigid set of rules, and fought by two distinct sides—one good, one evil. The only unknown is which side is which. Soldiers in the War hide in plain sight, their deeds disguised as accidents or random acts of violence amidst an unsuspecting population ignorant of the brutality that is always inches away.” – back cover
My Review -
What an fascinating concept this was! Shane creates a terrifying hidden world within our own. One where doing trivial things in our daily life can harbor life and death consequences: paranoia is everywhere.
This book follows twenty-five year old Joseph as he chronicles his assassinations in his journal. Joseph was raised learning all about his family’s deaths and so when he turned eighteen, he began killing for his side by following the rules. When a job goes wrong and he nearly ends up killed (along with his best friends) he is sent to Montreal. Here Joe meets Maria and they fall in love. Again, his assignment nearly goes awry and an innocent life is almost lost. The couple are separated. Read more
Winter is the perfect time to justify putting everything off and curling up with a book, a warm throw and a cuppa hot cocoa. Here’s a list of twenty books to inspire your winter reading list.
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
Broken Blade (Fallen Blade, #1) by Kelly McCullough. © 2011 Ace. ISBN 9781937007089. Mass Market Paperback. Fantasy. 288 pages. Source: review copy provided by the publishers.
“Once a fabled Blade of Namara, Aral Kingslayer fought for justice and his goddess alongside his familiar, a living shadow called Triss. Now with their goddess murdered and her temple destroyed, they are among the last of their kind. Surviving on the fringes of society, Aral becomes a drunken, broken, and wanted man, working whatever shadowy deal comes his way. Until a mysterious woman hires him to deliver a secret message-one that can either redeem him or doom him.” – back cover
My Review –
Broken Blade is the first in an all-new high fantasy series by the author of the Webmage books. Our protagonist is Aral Kingslayer, a former Blade of Namara who now hides, taking odd jobs as a jack (“a jack of shadows, the underworld’s all-purpose freelancer…”). The Blades were once followers of the Goddess—noble assassins of the unjust and amoral—but the Goddess was murdered and her temple destroyed by the Son of Heaven. The Blades were hunted down and Aral believes he is the only one left. Read more
Drew Struzan: Oeuvre by Drew Struzan and Dylan Struzan. Introduction by George Lucas. © 2011 Titan Books. ISBN 9780857685575. Hardback. Art History / Pop Culture. 314 pages. Source: review copy provided by the publishers.
If you are a movie-goer, and especially if you are a film buff, you should be familiar with Drew Struzan’s work. He has designed some of the most iconic movie posters of the last thirty years — from Star Wars, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and E.T. to Harry Potter, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Walking Dead — as well as stamps, record covers, trading cards and promotional artwork. Star Wars creator, writer and direction, George Lucas calls Struzan, “the only collectible artist since World War II.”
This extravagant coffee table book offers full-page prints of his work, over 250 pieces of art (including never before seen personal pieces), and a foreword by none other than George Lucas himself! Drew’s wife of forty years, Dylan, provides us with an intimate look at the man himself and his legacy through her prose.
This is definite must-have for movie buffs and geeks! 5/5.
Editor’s Note: I would like to welcome Meredith to our ranks here at Read All Over Reviews. She’ll be handling most of our eBook reviews.
Reluctant Queen, the story of Henry VIII’s defiant little sister by Geraldine Evans Copyright 2011 (originally published in 2004 by Robert Hale under the name Geraldine Hartnett). Source: e-copy provided by the author for an honest review.
Mary, the beautiful, younger sister of English king, Henry VIII, reluctantly agrees to marry the aged and sickly Louis XII of France for reasons of state. But before agreeing, she extracts Henry’s promise that she may please herself for her second marriage. Mary is deeply in love with the low-born Charles Brandon, her brother’s boon companion, and is determined to wed Brandon should King Louis die.
Review: As an admitted history nerd, I’m predisposed to like this book. From the blurb it would seem to have a lot of elements that I like: lesser known history, a feisty heroine, a little romance. Unfortunately, the description only covers the first part of the book.
Historical fiction takes a lot of research and it’s clear that Ms. Evans did hers. There is a wealth of information here about Mary Tudor and the other royals of her generation in both England and France. I enjoy reading about political intrigue and the machinations of leaders. I learned quite a bit about Mary Tudor who is usually obscured by the shadow of her charismatic and controversial brother. Read more
