Cathy Reviews: Vision in Silver + The Diabolical Miss Hyde

My mother in law Cathy is back today to share a few of her recent reviews :-) She's been on a bit of a roll lately, and I'm so grateful to her for picking up a little of my reviewing slack!

VISION IN SILVER
The Others #3
Anne Bishop
Urban Fantasy
416 pages
Penguin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The Others freed the  cassandra sangue  to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Vision in Silver is the third installment by Anne Bishop in the Others series. I've had this book on my wish list for months waiting to journey back to Lakeside Courtyard. At the end of book two, there was a heightened animosity between the Others and the humans. Simon Wolfgard, with a select group of Others and humans, had rescued several blood prophets and now they are trying to figure out exactly how to reintroduce them safely back into the world. Meg Corbyn, a blood prophet living in Lakeside, tries to make a manual that will help assimilate the newly released blood prophets while she still is trying to figure out her new life. 

Ms. Bishop seamlessly manages to blend two major plotlines. The larger plot deals with the deteriorating relations between the Others and humans. A human group, NHL, is using propaganda and violent attacks to prove that they are superior to the Others. And the Others are trying to remember that not all humans are meat!!!!! It's a little terrifying thinking about it that way, but Ms. Bishop stays true to the animalistic nature of her characters and I find that engaging and commendable. 

The plotline that I love best is life in Lakeside Courtyard. Since Meg has come to live there with the Others, you can see such big changes from everyone. Simon, the Alpha wolf leader, tries to make life better for Meg by allowing more humans to live in the Courtyard. This is contrary to his innate nature. Ms. Bishop writes these characters so well that we feel their struggles and triumphs. I suppose one could make all kinds of analogies to our own world and the discrimination present today, but I just enjoy being immersed in the world that Ms. Bishop has created. She leaves me wanting to see how the different groups will grow together and create a new reality. 

What I enjoy most is the budding romance between Simon and Meg, though neither of them know it's a romance. They are the true center of this world and we feel that if whatever happens between them can occur, then there is hope for the rest of the world.
 
I can't wait for the next book. This series is so well done and is well worth the read. I am so glad that Jenny gave me the first book to review and put this series on my radar.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Anne:

Website • Goodreads • Amazon

THE DIABOLICAL MISS HYDE
Electric Empire #1
Viola Carr
Fantasy/Steampunk
464 pages
Harper Voyager
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy retelling of the classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the infamous Henry

In an electric-powered Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with inventive new technological gadgets. Now, a new killer is splattering London with blood, drugging beautiful women and slicing off their limbs. Catching "the Chopper" could make Eliza's career--or get her burned. Because Eliza has a dark secret. A seductive second self, set free by her father's forbidden magical elixir: wild, impulsive Lizzie Hyde.

When the Royal Society sends their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she's a sorceress, Eliza must resist the elixir with all her power. But as the Chopper case draws her into London's luminous, magical underworld, Eliza will need all the help she can get. Even if it means getting close to Lafayette, who harbors an evil curse of his own.

Even if it means risking everything and setting vengeful Lizzie free . . .

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
Given the title of Viola Carr's new book, The Diabolical Miss Hyde, it's safe to assume that it's based on the classic tale of Jekyll and Hyde, but Ms. Carr shakes things up and puts a new spin on the tale. It is still set in Victorian London, but with a steampunk and mystical edge. Our protagonist Eliza is a female doctor and crime scene investigator keeping tabs on a serial killer loose in London. This is where Lizzie Hyde comes to help the investigation. Eliza is the prim and proper doctor whereas Lizzie is rough, wild and fearless. At the start of the story, Eliza tries to suppress Lizzie but as the plot thickens, they need to learn to work together. The telling of the story is well done and exciting because we hear and see everything from two points of view. Eliza and Lizzie both have a voice in their tale and because they're so different, we get very vivid accounts of their lives and struggles.
 
This book definitely has something for everyone–magical beings, mystery, murder, and even romantic undertones. There is a complicated plot and it is best to pay close attention to every detail. Everything has multiple meanings and the most intriguing things happen in the shadows. I found a line in the book to describe things beautifully: "A punctilious killer. A suspicious Royal investigator. A cunning lunatic. Each with the power to ruin her." That drew me into the story and I was eager to see where it would take me. We easily become invested in their lives and I was happy to find out that this is just the first in the series. I will get to see Eliza and Lizzie again as they continue to solve crimes and try to figure out a way to coexist.
                                                          
Rating: 3.5/5

Find Viola:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.

Bronze Gods Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

Today I'm hugely excited and honored to be the third stop of the promotional tour for A.A. Aguirre's new steampunk noir novel, Bronze Gods, hosted by Maja at The Nocturnal Library. Well-written and complex characters are what I always crave when reading, and Ann Aguirre has never once let me down with her many and varied protagonists, so I can't wait to dive into this book and meet inspectors Mikani and Ritsuko!

The tour for this book is quite unique in format, with each blog posting snippets from some of Mikani and Ritsuko's cases that, when read in order, tell a story. Maja has written a perfect introduction to how the tour is going to work, so I'm just going to let her explain in full:

The Criminal Investigation Division of the great city of Dorstaad doesn't normally allow just anyone access to their case files, but after several days of aggressive negotiations (bribery may or may not have been involved), a group of curious bloggers, myself included, has been allowed to rummage through some of the more peculiar cases that their top inspectors, Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko, have worked on. While we were there, mostly unsupervised, we poked around more than was strictly permissible and found some of their personal correspondence as well. It goes without saying that neither of them was present at the time.
 
The first set of notes can be found at The Nocturnal Library (followed by Rainy Day Ramblings) and the story continues through all the remaining stops, so make sure to check them all out. You can find the links at the bottom of this post.

DOCUMENT 1

 DOCUMENT 2

• • • • • • • • 

BRONZE GODS

Danger stalks the city of steam and shadows.

Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work all hours in the Criminal Investigation Division, keeping citizens safe. He’s a charming rogue with an uncanny sixth sense; she’s all logic—and the first female inspector. Between his instincts and her brains, they collar more criminals than any other partnership in the CID.

Then they’re assigned a potentially volatile case where one misstep could end their careers. At first, the search for a missing heiress seems straightforward, but when the girl is found murdered—her body charred to cinders—Mikani and Ritsuko’s modus operandi will be challenged as never before. Before long, it’s clear the bogeyman has stepped out of nightmares to stalk gaslit streets, and it’s up to them to hunt him down. There’s a madman on the loose, weaving blood and magic in an intricate, lethal ritual that could mean the end of everything…

More on A.A. Aguirre and Bronze Gods can be found here:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • 

TRAILER

 • • • • • • • • • • 

BLOG TOUR

Be sure and check out all the stops on this tour, starting with The Nocturnal Library, to follow the case notes/personal correspondence and the story they tell in its entirety!

April 30th The Nocturnal Library 

May 1st Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings

May 2nd Jenny @ Supernatural Snark

May 3rd Mary @ Book Swarm

May 6th Melissa @ Books and Things

May 7th Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Ann and Andres Aguirre I have one signed copy of Bronze Gods to give away on the blog today! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is international, good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Etiquette and Espionage

ETIQUETTE AND ESPIONAGE
Finishing School #1
Gail Carriger
Young Adult/Steampunk
320 pages
Little, Brown
Available Now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Sophronia Temminnick at 14 is a great trial more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners -- and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Her poor mother, desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady, enrolls the lively tomboy in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage -- in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

MY THOUGHTS
A fun and quirky young adult debut from Ms. Carriger, Etiquette and Espionage is packed full of engaging characters all equipped with the sense of humor fans of her Parasol Protectorate series love so dearly, ensuring that upon finishing this first installment we immediately begin counting the days until the next book releases. While this story is a bit slower in nature, it’s never dull, instead we find ourselves so charmed with the outlandish antics of young Sophronia and those attending Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality that it’s hard to miss the suspense or action. There is certainly a mystery that unfolds as Sophronia’s first semester progresses, but it feels almost secondary to the sheer entertainment we find in wondering what the characters will say or do next.

Though Sophronia is fourteen years-old and therefore may not appeal to older readers of young adult fiction, it’s important to know she comes across far more maturely than her young years (though not so much so that her age is rendered completely unbelievable) might suggest. She’s full of sass and fire, possessing a quick mind that serves to assist her in getting out of the trouble her innate curiosity so often gets her into. Her need to stick her nose into everything never once comes across as a character flaw or irritation for us as readers, instead she manages to approach all her ridiculous situations with an infectious humor, forcing a laugh out of us before that first twinge of frustration even has the chance to form.

While there are several boys of note in this tale (despite the fact that the finishing school is an all girls academy), there is no romance to be had, something that might cause a beat of hesitation for lovers of romance (like myself), but ultimately this story is all the more refreshing for its absence. In the place of romantic tension and angst we have the formation of strong friendships full of teasing and laughter, complete with rather silly and absurd names like Lord Dingleproops to keep a lighthearted smile plastered to our faces the entire time we read. A sootie named Soap does make his way onto our romance radar rather quickly and easily, but given Sophronia’s young age we don’t have much expectation for romance going in, and instead welcome their innocent friendship and mild flirting with open arms as we bask in our reprieve from relationship drama.

Overall Etiquette and Espionage is a highly amusing introduction to this series; a quieter read that gives our hearts a bit of buoyancy rather than weighing it down with pain and conflict, leaving us light, happy and thoroughly entertained.

Rating: 4/5
 
Gail stopped by to answer a few questions yesterday as part of the promotional tour for Etiquette & Espionage, so be sure and check it out and enter for a chance to win a finished copy!

Review: The Peculiar

Today I'm thrilled to welcome my mom Pam back to the blog to wow us all once again with her reviewing prowess. I'm having a blast including both my mom and my mother-in-law Cathy (who will be reviewing tomorrow) in this blogging adventure, and I'm hoping I can get them to contribute with more regularity moving forward. It may take some persuading, but I'm on it ;-) Take it away Mom!

THE PECULIAR
Stefan Bachmann
Middle Grade/Steampunk
384 pages
Greenwillow Books
Available now
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.

In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings–Peculiars–and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.

One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley–Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.

First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.

PAM'S THOUGHTS
A vastly entertaining, fast moving steampunk adventure novel, The Peculiar is packed with suspense, magic, intrigue and murder. In his well-written debut novel, Stefan Bachmann displays his creative literary talents through his command of similes and metaphors, allowing readers of any age to immerse themselves visually and emotionally into a unique fantasy world with unforgettable characters. Bachmann has a remarkable gift for one so young, as he was only sixteen years old when he wrote this inspired book.

The main character, Bartholomew Kettle, labeled a “peculiar” – a changeling that is half-human and half-faery – is loathed by both faery and human societies in a supernatural, clockwork version of Victorian England. Peculiars are to be killed on sight and buried under elderberry bushes as a preventative measure should their ugliness be contagious. Knowing no other existence but fear and hate, Bartholomew and his younger beloved sister, Hettie, suffer from the cruelty and isolation resulting from this tension between classes. Witnessing the kidnapping of several changeling children and learning of the violent death of others, Bartholomew has the opportunity to play an extraordinary role in both changing his life as well as the dark, dangerous world in which he lives.
 
Amid the seemingly relentless darkness and death, the author treats the reader to moments of brightness by watching Bartholomew grow and mature from an extremely frightened, self possessed child to a determined one, displaying a tenderness of heart in his avid pursuit to protect his mother and sister’s lives at the risk of his own. Through his adventures he also learns to trust and befriend a mortal enemy, a human.
 
An amazing, highly imaginative book that will keep readers of all ages enthralled. Definitely recommended and his sequel will be eagerly awaited.
 
Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Masque of the Red Death

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

Bethany Griffin
Paranormal Young Adult
320 pages
HarperTeen
Available April 24th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

MY THOUGHTS

Darkly atmospheric, Masque of the Red Death beckons us into its dichotomous world with the crook of a diseased finger, delighting us with technological advancements beyond those of our reality while simultaneously horrifying us with the deterioration of human health and quality of life. One page paints pictures of sumptuous debauchery for those who can afford it, with steam carriages for transport and needles full of liquid oblivion to escape the gruesome deaths of those unfortunate enough to contract the Weeping Sickness, while the next details the dirt, grime, and disease crippling the city one sore-ridden body at a time. We can almost feel the disease itself settle on our bodies with a tangible weight, our fingers itching to rub our skin red to alleviate the psychosomatic tingles as we follow Araby down from the highest perch above the city into the gutters themselves, discovering along the way that sickness isn’t only physical, and those suffering from it the most are often hiding behind wealth and privilege.

Araby is an interesting young woman, someone with status thanks to the masks her father invented that filter the air the wearer breathes so that no contagion can get through, but yet she isn’t overly proud of her elevated place in what remains of society. She’s similar to the porcelain mask she wears every day in so many ways–a hard shell that functions as it's supposed to but hides anything real behind a cool, smooth exterior. An honorable promise made to her late brother Finn has debilitated her, making her into someone who is alive but not truly living, and someone who wears her survivor’s guilt as armor plating to keep any happiness from finding its way in. Luckily for us, her sense of responsibility over Finn’s death, while heavy at times, isn’t all-consuming, and we’re able to catch glimpses of the real Araby when she every so often allows Will to create a chink in her armor.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story is with regard to Will and Elliott, two young men with varying levels of interest in Araby. The synopsis has us believing we’ll find ourselves in the middle of a love triangle, and while that is partly true, the dynamics of their individual relationships are so deliciously fascinating that we can’t quite work up an appropriate level of irritation over a commonly used young adult fiction plot device. Ms. Griffin shows a true talent for creating both physical and emotional masks in this tale, with the physical obscuring facial features and making it difficult for Araby (and us) to decipher intent and sincerity, but more intriguing are the various emotional masks each boy dons. We think we have things figured out, confident in our knowledge of which boy is better suited to Araby, but we soon find ourselves embroiled in a shell game–masks sliding on and off the boys’ faces so quickly we can barely keep track of the one we think is the real one, and all the while we are completely absorbed by Ms. Griffin’s sleight of hand and the web of deception it creates.

Due to the aforementioned emotional masks, we don’t quite get to know any of the characters as well as we might like in this first installment, but we certainly know enough about them and the gritty, steampunk world to find ourselves drawn in and invested in the story’s outcome. While there is no jaw-dropping, hair-pulling cliffhanger, things are left unresolved and quite literally up in the air as a new and more ghastly plague known as the Red Death begins its gruesome attack on an already frightfully thin human population. Based on the conclusion of this first installment, this series promises to get darker and more complex as it goes, and I for one will be counting the days until I’m able to again try my hand at deciphering Ms. Griffin’s deliciously wicked games of duplicity and betrayal.

Rating: 4/5