Archive for 'Atlanta'



REVIEW: Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin

Dear Ms. Giffin,

book review Exactly one hundred days to her marriage to her husband Andy, Ellen Graham literally crosses paths with her ex-boyfriend Leo. Ellen describes their encounter this way:
From the outside, say if you were a cabdriver watching frantic jaywalkers scramble to cross the street in the final seconds before the light changed, it was only a mundane, urban snapshot: two seeming strangers, with little in common but their flimsy black umbrellas, passing in an intersection, making fleeting eye contact, and exchanging stiff but not unfriendly hellos before moving on their way.

But inside was a very different story. Inside, I was reeling, churning, breathless as I made it onto the safety of the curb and into a virtually empty diner near Union Square. Like seeing a ghost, I thought, one of those expressions I’ve heard a thousand times but never fully registered until that moment. I closed my umbrella and unzipped my coat, my heart still pounding. As I watched the waitress wiped down a table with hard, expert strokes, I wondered why I was so startled by the encounter when there was something that seemed utterly inevitable about the …

REVIEW: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

Dear Ms. Andrews,

Magic BurnsWhen I read your first novel, Magic Bites, I was struck by your fresh worldbuilding. Sometimes I feel like many urban fantasy novels feature similar worldbuilding details. Execution makes all the difference, of course, but because of those similarities, I really appreciate unique worldbuilding when a book presents it to me. That said, I thought some of its plotting and characterization suffered from flaws you’d expect of a first novel. It was a good book, but I wouldn’t grade it as high as Jane did.

I don’t have those complaints here. The rough patches that bothered me in Magic Bites were not in attendance. And if they were, I didn’t notice them. I’m pleased this was the case because nothing is more disappointing than a poor follow-up to a promising debut.

For those readers new to the series, the Kate Daniels books take place in a futuristic Atlanta suffering from an advanced state of urban decay. In this world, magic batters the earth in waves, eating technology. When tech is up, spells fail and magical constructs lose their power. When …

REVIEW: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

I saw this book featured on someone’s blog. The short blurb intrigued me and I went to the site and read the excerpt which really intrigued me. I immediately sent off an email to the Ace contact I have and begged for the book. The book was every bit as good as the excerpt promised. When a reader is done with a good book, an interesting book, she wants to share those thoughts with other readers. When I finished the book, I hopped onto the ‘net looking for someone, anyone who has read this book. Granted I got the book several weeks before the release date but someone had read it and would chat with me about it, right? Alas no. So finally getting to share my thoughts with people who may have read the book or will be reading the book is exciting for me.

Kate Daniels is a member of the Mercenary Guild. She hires out her sword and her magical talents to suppress those who are misusing their power. This is a world where tech and magic are competing for control. …