Jan 22 2008
The Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane. Published by Kitty Media. Retail: $11.99. 1/2+ volumes. Rated: Mature (this title is adult-only, sexually graphic yaoi (MxM).) Dear Readers, This is my favorite manga release of 2007. There are some with loftier ambitions that I might admire more, like Town of Evening Calm, but when it comes to(…)
Jan 11 2008
Dear Ms. Turner, Since in reality, our reviews are at least as much for readers as they are for authors, let me begin this letter with a warning to readers who haven’t embarked on your YA fantasy series beginning with The Thief. The book I am about to review here is The Queen of Attolia,(…)
Jan 2 2008
Dear Ms. Bishop, I have two confessions to make. First, I haven’t read the first novel in your Horsemistress trilogy. This is one of the major criticisms of the fantasy genre. Most books are part of a trilogy or series, and many times you can’t read them out of order without becoming hopelessly confused. Sometimes(…)
Dec 3 2007
Dear Ms. Wilson, Lord of the Fading Lands first came to my attention when my blogging partner, Jane, sent all her co-bloggers an excited email after reading an ARC of the book back in the summertime. Soon afterward, Jane blogged about the book and since then, others have fallen in love with it, both here(…)
Dec 1 2007
Dear Ms Rowley, While I enjoy medieval set novels, they have the capacity to really push my bad buttons. Too often authors go for that period feel by randomly tossing in faux medieval dialogue, doing haphazard research and making the hero nothing but an angst filled bastard. Literally. And when an author takes on the(…)
Nov 24 2007
Dear Ms. Pharaoh Francis: There’s a lot of discontent in the romance community over the use of shortcuts. Essentially, an author relies on certain words or phrases to depict an entire emotional or psychological backstory for a character. Long time romance readers understand intuitively what the author is trying to convey, but newcomers to the(…)
Nov 16 2007
Dear Mr. Cook, I’ve always thought the Juno covers were lovely and eye-catching, and the cover for this book is no exception. Timothy Lantz did an excellent job capturing the dark and moody tone of a story that is one-half sword and sorcery tale and one-half grim horror. From what I understand, Blood Magic was(…)
Nov 7 2007
Dear Ms. Wilson: I see how you are and I can’t say I like it very much. Do you honestly think it is fair to write compelling stories without a resolution and then expect a reader to wait an entire year for the next installation? Lord of the Fading Lands left us with Ellysetta Baristani(…)
Nov 6 2007
Dear Ms. Shinn, I was tired, crabby, and busily packing for a trip when the ARC of Reader and Raelynx arrived on my doorstep. Minutes later, I gleefully sent off an email to my fellow Dear Author reviewers, quoting the little note that said “Sharon Shinn said you would be interested in seeing a galley(…)
Oct 24 2007
Dear Readers, Here are some suggestions for slightly spooky romantic manga for Halloween. Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino: I enjoy this one even though in many ways it’s a very typical shoujo (girls) romance series. The very polished artwork raises it a notch above many series, and there’s something about the main characters’ love triangle(…)
Oct 11 2007
Dear Ms. Shinn, You’ve written some of my favorite romances (Yes, I know that they are published in the SF/Fantasy and YA genres, but I consider many of your books romances). General Winston’s Daughter, your latest YA fantasy novel, may not be my most cherished among your works but it’s still an unusually good book,(…)
Aug 22 2007
Dear Ms. Novik, I’ve now found out that even a lesser Novik book is still pretty good. But this one should come with a warning to load up on lots of chocolate, a glass of wine or some Prozac before starting. Jaysus, there were a lot of depressing events to read and, for a while,(…)
Aug 16 2007
Dear Ms. Shin, When I read the blurb for your book “A Rapture of Centuries,” I knew I’d be dealing with a hero who somehow has stayed alive for, well, centuries. I wasn’t sure exactly how but I prayed he wouldn’t turn out to be yet another vampire. If I had seen the cover for(…)
Aug 15 2007
Dear Ms. Burkhart, As I told you when you offered us an e-copy of “Survive My Fire,” dragon shapeshifters usually do little to light my fire. Shapeshifters period have pretty much lost my interest at this point, and yet your book grabbed me from the start. Perhaps it’s because up til now Chanda has rarely(…)
Jul 9 2007
Dear Ms. Turner, Your young adult fantasy novel, The Thief, was named a 1997 Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Notable Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. After hearing good things about the series that begins with this book from two different friends, I was eager to begin reading it. Gen, the hero(…)
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