supernatural

REVIEW:  Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

REVIEW: Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey

Dear Ms. Carey, I’m a huge fan of yours. I loved the original Kushiel trilogy and while I thought the succeeding trilogies didn’t quite live up to that beginning, the Phedre novels still rank high among my favorite fantasy novels. Your non-Kushiel novels didn’t hit me the same way but I still appreciated what you(…)

MANGA REVIEW:  Jiu Jiu volume 2 by Touya Tobina

MANGA REVIEW: Jiu Jiu volume 2 by Touya Tobina

Story & Art: Touya Tobina Publisher: Hakusensha/Viz Rated: T+ for older teen Volumes: 2/5 Dear readers, A few weeks ago, I read the first volume of Jiu Jiu, a shoujo manga series about Takamichi, the heir of a demon hunting family, and her two shapeshifting bodyguard-familiars, Night and Snow. Although the pacing was uneven, I(…)

MANGA REVIEW:  Jiu Jiu volume 1 by Touya Tobina

MANGA REVIEW: Jiu Jiu volume 1 by Touya Tobina

Story & Art: Touya Tobina Publisher: Hakusensha/Viz Rated: T+ for older teen Volumes: 1/5 Dear readers, It’s been a while since I picked up a new shoujo title so after looking around a bit, I decided to give this a try. I admit I don’t often read shoujo manga much these days but it’s good(…)

MANGA REVIEW:  Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

MANGA REVIEW: Urameshiya volume 1 by Makiko

It's the return of the manga review! I know it's been a while. While we can't promise that these will become a regular feature at Dear Author, I will try to review a couple titles occasionally. Story & Art: MakikoPublisher: JMangaRating: M for MatureLength: 1/1+ volumes (14 volumes currently available in Japan) Dear readers, Dear(…)

REVIEW: Son of the Morning by Linda Howard

REVIEW: Son of the Morning by Linda Howard

Dear Ms Howard: The re-release of one of your only time travel novel provided a perfect excuse for a re-read. Son of the Morning was first published in 1997. It’s an unusual romance in that for much of the story, Grace and Niall, the two main protagonists are separated by the dimension of time. While(…)

REVIEW: The Shattering by Karen Healey

REVIEW: The Shattering by Karen Healey

Dear Ms. Healey, There are two things I continually look for in books: stories set places not in the U.S. and stories featuring diverse characters. While books do feature more of the above these days, I still think there’s room for improvement. One of the reasons why I’ve been reading more YA during the past(…)

REVIEW: In the Air Tonight by Stephanie Tyler

REVIEW: In the Air Tonight by Stephanie Tyler

Dear Ms. Tyler: I choose this book because I like romantic suspense stories  with former special forces heroes (and heroines), I liked Hard to Hold, the first in your previous series, and this story featured a sister and BFF of an older brother romance.  The blurb alerted me to the fact that there was a(…)

REVIEW: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

REVIEW: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Dear Ms. Derting, I greatly enjoyed your debut YA, The Body Finder, about Violet Ambrose, a girl who can sense the presence of corpses. Her story, her supportive relationship with her family, and her blossoming romance with her best friend, Jay, combined to make for an enjoyable read. While your sophomore effort didn’t blow me(…)

REVIEW: In Dreams Begin by Skyler White

REVIEW: In Dreams Begin by Skyler White

WARNING: SPOILERS ARE HAPPENING BELOW. APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE Dear Ms. White, Jane counts And Falling, Fly among her favorite books for 2010 and it just missed making my list by an eyelash. The book was gorgeously written, thought provoking, sensuous and exciting. All of this, and it really engaged me by making me question what(…)

REVIEW: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

REVIEW: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Dear Ms. Derting, Your debut initially piqued my interest when I read the premise: a teenage girl with the ability to sense death gets tangled up with a serial killer. For all my purported weariness with the urban fantasy genre and its related subsets, I can’t seem to stay away because I love the paranormal(…)

REVIEW: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

REVIEW: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Dear Ms. Harris: The first time I read Dead in the Family I felt almost hypnotized by the emotional aftermath of the horror Sookie faced in the last book, Dead and Gone. Enthralled by the effects of her trauma and the painfully slow steps she was making toward recovery, I could barely summon my critical(…)

REVIEW: Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter

REVIEW: Twice as Hot by Gena Showalter

Dear Ms. Showalter, I read Playing With Fire when it came out in 2006 and enjoyed it, enough to hope that there would be a sequel. I realize that the book was subtitled Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, and wasn’t sure how much mileage you’d get out of a single character romance. I also didn’t(…)

GUEST REVIEW: Gentlemen Prefer Succubi by Jill Myles

FTC disclaimer: I won this ARC in the competition to write a review of Jane’s nonexistent weregerbil novel. Review disclaimer: I don’t read a lot of paranormals, so take my judgments of the worldbuilding, mythology, etc. with a grain of salt. Husband’s comment on the ARC cover: “‘Maybe bad girls do have more fun’? So,(…)

REVIEWS (shorts): Some Halloween Manga Suggestions

REVIEWS (shorts): Some Halloween Manga Suggestions

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(…)