Yay for YA: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Do you read books that people swear you'll like?  Do you like the suggested books?  Or do you feel like the person had no clue what you actually like?

Dana at Snowbound Books has been recommending the following book to me for several years now, practically since it was published.  And Dana is a pretty good judge of what people could like to read; it's her job as a store owner, and she and I used to work together, so she does know my tastes.  I finally purchased it for the public library, and read it before cataloging it.  Did it live up to her hype?

Statistics
Checkouts: New to the public library
Typical reader: Fans of teen urban fantasy, teens looking for something edgy, fans of ALA award winners and finalists
Source: Snowbound Books

Synopsis: Sam LaCroix, a college dropout working at a burger joint, is surprised to learn that he is a necromancer.  And that he has enemies because of this.

My Goodreads rating: 3 stars (3.5, rounded down)

Let's talk about what young adult literature is.  I took a class on it, back in my master's program.  And from that, I can tell you: everyone has a different definition of it.  It depends on the definition of "young adult."  Are young adults just teens?  Should college students be included?  Can it extend all the way through the 20s, especially considering how many 20-somethings are still in school, still living at home, still unemployed or minimally employed?  Can we judge it based on what the American Library Association awards in the young adult categories?

If we work with a strict definition of "young adult literature is for teens, under 18," I wouldn't call it YA lit.  The protagonist is a college dropout.  There are also elements to the book that would make me hesitate to hand it to immature high school students.  If they pick it up on their own, fine, it's their business and their parents' or guardians'.  I'm not one to censor.  But would I put this in a school library?  No.  Would I shelve it in a teen section?  *squirm*  Eh ...

On the other hand, ALA committees liked it and called it YA.  Hold Me Closer, Necromancer was a finalist for the 2011 William C. Morris Debut Award, which is for a new author's first book in the YA realm.  It was also on the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Best Fiction for Young Adults top ten list for 2011.

I also don't think it would appeal to typical adult readers.  If your library has a "new adult" section, perhaps this book should be there.  It's probably the best place possible.  If not, YA works.

What did I actually think of the book?  I suppose you are here for the review.

I greatly enjoyed the character development.  Learning about Sam's background, which had many secrets and tantalizing revelations, captivated my interests.  Characters are well-rounded, intriguing, and quirky.  And the back of the book is amusingly vague, almost misleading, about his "undead friend" and "hot werewolf girl."  Surprises can be fun, particularly in this book.  I thoroughly enjoyed finding out all of what James was.

The plot ... it was an interesting twist on coming-of-age and finding one's place in life, certainly.  But if you read a lot of this sort of genre, it blends in and is unremarkable.  It suffers from a problem that gamers familiar with the Old World of Darkness settings would understand: The trope that everyone is actually supernatural, and the last human just became a hunter.  Yawn.  A bit of normalcy would have been exciting, if you get where I'm coming from.

That said, I did enjoy it overall.  I could find myself reading the sequel, because there is a curious thread left hanging.

Yay for YA: Promise Bound, by Anne Greenwood Brown

I am never quite comfortable with reviewing sequels.  If you've been reading my reviews for a while, you likely know I don't give spoilers, and do not appreciate spoilers.  Thus, to review something in a series after the first book is a bit difficult.  You either have to paint broad strokes about it and drop hints, or just say what happened in previous installments.

On the other hand, when I take the time to actually read through an entire series, I would like to give props to the author, because I don't typically indulge in reading to completion.  In this line of work, one needs to have a vast knowledge of what can be recommended to patrons, which does not bode well to moving beyond the first book of anything.

So, let me tell you about Promise Bound, the third in the Lies Beneath trilogy by Anne Greenwood Brown.  I'll also briefly touch on the second book, Deep Betrayal, as I read it while on hiatus.

Statistics
Checkouts (series): 4 at the school library
Typical reader: Fans of the series
Source: Snowbound Books

Synopsis, Deep Betrayal: Told from Lily's perspective.  After graduating from high school, Lily returns to the lake to find Calder and her father spending too much time together, thanks to the events of the first book.  And someone - or something - is killing tourists and locals alike on the lake.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Synopsis, Promise Bound: The chapters alternate between Lily and Calder's perspectives, plus additional voices near the end.  There are a lot of things going on in this one, with Lily dreaming of being Nadia, her grandmother (and Calder's adoptive mother), Calder's sisters vying for control, a mermaid's baby, and old promises that must be kept.  Will all the turmoil tear Lily and Calder apart?

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Deep Betrayal pleased me.  Lily's voice was perfect in this book.  It was just as I would have imagined it.  The lore in this rendering of the world was explored more.  The thriller elements of the book stayed fresh and gripping.

Promise Bound had a lot going on, yet it also felt like a finisher for the trilogy.  It didn't really add to the experience, but wrapped things up - including elements added in this book.  There were a couple of points I want to address in it, though.

1. The plot twist halfway through the book.  Initially, I was shocked by what seemed like an odd, out of left field, crazy plot twist.  Lily makes Calder promise to do something that he doesn't want to or feel the need to do - but promising compels merfolk in this world, so then he has to.  It flummoxed me.  But I came to terms with it.  It did fit, somewhat.  While it was rash and impulsive, Lily is a teenager, and teens (perhaps especially Lily) can certainly be rash and impulsive.

2. I have a much harder time with the character of Chelsea.  Calder meets her at the reference desk of (a branch of) the Thunder Bay Public Library.  She should not exist.  Harsh, yes.  But what library lets high school students work the reference desk?!  You don't find that at a small town's reference desk, much less in a city of more than 150,000 residents.  She could have been a college student and I would have bought it.  But not a high school student.
And then what the heck is up with her not only giving Calder the addresses, let alone driving him to the addresses, of patrons?  It wasn't even as though he had used his powers on her.  She just up and violated patron confidentiality to an extreme.  I had a little conniption fit over that.

But, overall, I enjoyed this series.  It was a fresh, different take on merfolk, and offered elements of other genres beyond paranormal romance.  The protagonists were interesting, as was the world-building and lore.  And I appreciated the setting - not quite Michigan, sure, but Lake Superior is visible from my apartment.

Most Ambivalent Read of 2012: The Scorpio Races

As the year races to its end, it's time for me to look back on things that have been good, bad, and indifferent. My choices for this post, about a book I was horribly ambivalent over, were between the highly acclaimed The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, and the graphic novel edition of Fahrenheit 451 by the late great Ray Bradbury.  Throughout the former, I could not find myself going "wow" as so many others did.  With the latter, it wasn't until I started typing up a review that I realized how much I was "meh" over it.

I think I'll save the post about the graphic novel for another day this week, and go for the more controversial one.  It fits the bill better, plus it may be good for my blog's traffic and comments.

Statistics
Checkouts:
Typical reader: Teen girls, fans of Ms. Stiefvater's novels
Source: Scholastic

Synopsis: Every fall, a Gaelic island is infested with mythical sea horses unlike any others.  Brave men try to ride and race them in November, in the Scorpio Races, for great wealth or a horrible death.  In an attempt to save the remnants of her already-shattered family, a girl named Puck enters the races as the first female to ever do so.  She draws the interest of a returning champion, a young man named Sean.

My Goodreads rating: Unrated, for I am truly ambivalent.

What did I like about this book?  The mythos the author created was great.  The capaill uisce, the malevolent sea horses, are so unique.  Yes, they are based on Celtic water horses such as the kelpies, but spiced up a bit.  Kelpies and their kin also don't show up often in teen literature, so this is a nice departure from the typical paranormal fare of cuddly werewolves, sparkly vampires, and zombies lurching everywhere.

I've also got a soft spot for horse racing.  I'm a military brat, and one of my father's assignments put us in Kentucky for a few years.  I took a shine to Churchill Downs in Louisville, and to this day still enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby every May.  The plot of the book was intriguing.

Now, if only the race featured more prominently in the book.  The race itself occurs in the last 10% of the book.  While there's something to be said about "the journey, not the destination," there's also a need for decent pacing.

My biggest "ho hum" issue with the book is the people.  I was so utterly ambivalent about Puck, and could rather care less about Sean.  Did I care who won the race?  Not really.  And Puck rubbed me the wrong way sometimes.  For instance, take this thought of hers.  "No one notices what the third sister, Annie, looks like, because she's blind."  I've got a note in my progress on Goodreads that says I actually went "Huh?" regarding that line.  Maybe it's just a bit of culture shock; while I've worked with an amazing blind woman, Puck probably has a bit of that old Celtic mindset that a physical deformity is a sign of a mental/spiritual deformity, and therefore the blind woman is beneath her.  But still.


If you've read it, what did you think of the book?  Did you like it?  Many people seemed to.  Or is this review something that makes you say, "Whew, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way"?

Marvelous Michigan Month: Lies Beneath

I heard about the book Lies Beneath this summer and was really excited.  It's a book about mermaids in Lake Superior!  I could not find anything that said where in Lake Superior this YA mermaid tail took place, but I thought it would be a great inclusion in the collection and, as the idea for Marvelous Michigan Month formed, in this feature.

I'm disappointed that the story takes place around the Apostle Islands, which are part of Wisconsin.  *deflates*  Well, nuts.

But I'm still going to feature Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown in this month's merriment, because dang it, there are mermaids in Lake Superior, and YA novels set in Michigan are hard to find.

Statistics
Michigan connection: The Apostle Islands are part of Wisconsin, but are close to Michigan.  And there's a shipwreck on the Wisconsin/Michigan border that's featured in the story.  Lake Superior mostly falls in the jurisdiction of Michigan.  Yeah, I'm stretching things.

"A" is for Apostle Islands. They are part of Wisconsin. Boo.
Screenshot of Google Maps.

Checkouts: New to the charter school library
Typical reader: A tough call, since it's not fully in the paranormal romance genre and the protagonist is male, but I'll wager that teen girls will read it most.
Source: Snowbound Books

Synopsis: There are murderous mermaids in Lake Superior!  Calder and his sisters have vowed revenge on the son of the man who killed their mother.  To lure him into the water, Calder has taken on the task of getting close to one of his daughters.  He doesn't expect the teenager, Lily, to be resistant to his charms - or that he could fall in love with her.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

I loved the lore-building in this book!  The facts of Ms. Brown's take on mermaids are smoothly woven into Calder's narrative.  And it all makes sense.  Old lore from Greek and Native American sources are used, explained, or referenced.  Mermaids ran ships aground and killed sailors; Calder will tell you why.  Characters speculate as to whether the manitous of local Native American lore.  It made me happy, how much thought and research the author put into her paranormal beings.

Calder is a bit of a mixed bag for me.  It's nicely different to have this story to be from the point of view of a male, and of the "bad boy" at that.  His name is perplexingly unique.  It also would fit someone tied to a volcano better.  (Calder makes me think caldera, a large volcanic crater.)  He's a bit cocky and arrogant.  But more importantly, I abhor the trend of stalker types in paranormal romance.  I'm a good little librarian and don't say anything when tweens and teens check out the Twilight series, but ye gods, I want to give them a lecture about how they should never let someone treat them like Edward treated Bella.  Stalking is wrong.  Hurting your partner is wrong.  Manipulating your partner is wrong.  Breaking into your partner's bedroom and watching them sleep is just plain creepy.  Let's get something straight right now, okay?  Edward was abusive and a lot of what he did was illegal.  Why do we let this be considered romantic?

*puts soapbox away*

Anyway.  Calder is a bit of a stalker, but at least he only trespasses and hangs out in the Hancocks' hammock, or gets a job where he knows Lily applied.  Does he think about hurting her?  Yes.  But he's not exactly a good guy in this story; he and his sisters want to kill Lily's father.  Does he reform for Lily, or does he go through with the plans?  Read and find out.

Lily, on the other hand, more or less made me happy.  She's pleasantly nonconformist, reading Victorian poetry and dressing in a style all her own.  She is intelligent and witty.  Perhaps best of all, she's not taken by Calder's somewhat magical charms, and is skeptical of his motivations.  Nor is she keen on the advances of the local, normal dude, Jack.  Honestly, the way she looked at Calder's sisters in the coffee shop at one point in the book, I had the passing fancy that maybe she'd totally turn a teen paranormal romance novel on its ear and turn out to be a lesbian.  No such luck, but her reluctance to fall for Calder's advances and her suspicions about what was going on were endearing.

This is far more than a paranormal romance, though.  (Which, if you know my tastes, is a good thing.  I don't like pure romances.)  It is really quite the thriller.  There are some great twists to the plot.  And the murderous mermaids that are Calder's sisters turn out to be a bit different than what he'd thought he'd known.  Maybe I could have guessed at what ends up happening, but I really enjoyed the ride and the surprises.

There will be a sequel to this; it's due out next spring.  Interestingly, it's from Lily's perspective.

Yay for YA: Endlessly review

There's quite an irony in naming the last book in a trilogy, the end of the story (as sworn by the author herself), "Endlessly."  But perhaps it's optimistic, that we readers will love it endlessly.  That optimism is met with my feelings about this final book about Evie.

My previous reviews in this series:
Paranormalcy (book 1)
Supernaturally (book 2)

Statistics
Checkouts: Definitely coming soon to the school library
Series checkouts: 5
Typical reader: Fans of the series
Source: ARC from Snowbound Books

Synopsis (Spoiler-free!): Evie is a busy girl, with a new IPCA director after her, plenty of people to rescue in various ways, and a weird request from the paranormals in her life that she's not sure she wants to fulfill.

My Goodreads rating: 5 stars

I thought this was a great end to Evie's story!  I've read a few reviews that said that this book went on endlessly, and was too long and drawn-out.  Um, who do you want to not get rescued by Evie?  It seemed to me that everything was necessary.  Even the part where (minor spoiler) Reth prolongs Evie's trip to the realm of the Unseelie Court to show her all that the bad faeries do, which Evie felt to be superfluous and solely for Reth's own goals, was pretty important in the long run.

I've enjoyed Evie's personality and growth throughout the series.  This trilogy has consistently been an excellent blend of serious and fluff.  It's amused me and pleased me.  It avoids the pitfalls of a lot of YA paranormal romance, in not having a love triangle and being sensible about the stalker-y but good-looking ex-boyfriend.

This finale to Evie's story was really good, and I look forward to what else Ms. White will produce in the future.  Flood and Stone, expected next year, seems particularly promising; the daughter of Ancient Egyptian gods sounds right up the alley of my mythology fans.

Yay for YA: Supernaturally review

A few months ago I reviewed the first in this series, Paranormalcy.  You can find the review here.  Here's my take on Supernaturally, the second book.

Statistics
Checkouts: Coming soon to the library
Series checkouts: 2
Source: Personally purchased from Snowbound Books

Synopsis: Evie is living the normal life she's always wanted, complete with a locker.  Then Raquel contacts her, and offers her freelance opportunities at the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA).  With the dubious assistance of a faerie-raised human named Jack who can travel through the Faerie Paths, she takes the jobs, and finds all sorts of new trouble and dark, old secrets.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

In a nutshell, this is just as good as its predecessor.  I love Evie's voice throughout the narrative.  She's refreshingly sassy and smart, yet realistic.  Cut out all the fantasy elements, and you'd have a normal girl living a normal life, hating gym class, hanging with friends, and trying to get into only her top choice of universities.

Her love for Lend and desire to be with him is mostly cute and sweet, but there's also the very teenaged problem of thinking they have to go to the same university or it will be an absolute tragedy.  There's also the issue of how he doesn't like the idea of her working for IPCA again, and she goes behind his back and deceives him.  They need to work on their communication skills.  But who doesn't, right?

Reth is back, causing more problems for his ex-girlfriend, who stills hates him and wants nothing to do with him.  Added to the mix is the absolute screwball, Jack, who drives Evie nuts but takes her to cool places, not just her missions for IPCA.  Despite Lend's jealousy toward the enigmatic Jack, as with the first book, there's no stupid love triangle.  I applaud Ms. White for that.

There's a lot going on in the action of the plot.  What are those bleeping faeries up to now?  Why can't they just leave Evie alone?  But we do get some more answers and resolutions, including a bit about Evie's past.

I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, Endlessly.  I already snagged an ARC from Snowbound for it, but I'm trying to be good and wait until closer to the release date to read that.  This is a fluffy, fun series, and I'm sorry that it's only a trilogy.

Graphic novels: a word, and a review of "Anya's Ghost"

I would like to address an issue that comes up periodically at the school library, and probably in libraries of all varieties across the globe.  That issue is graphic novels.  Should they be available?  Are they worthwhile?  My answer to both these questions is a firm "Yes."

Should graphic novels (which includes Japanese manga and other sequential art, for my purposes today) be available to children?  That depends.  Last year, a group of parents at my school took up the issue with the CEO.  There was concern over such manga series as Bleach and Naruto, two popular series that offer a bit of violence and perhaps a little distasteful fashion sense regarding female characters.  The end results was the retention of all the books, with the caveat that parental permission would be required below a certain grade.  I had never allowed younger children to check these out; starting in third grade they can check out select comic books and child-oriented graphic novels such as the popular series Amelia Rules.

On the flip side, a colleague who teaches an upper elementary grade recently challenged whether we should allow his students to continue checking out what he derisively termed "Pokey-mans."  To him, graphic novels are synonymous with comic books, no more challenging than picture books and offering no literary value.  I argued the point with him a bit, then decided that the best way to change his mind is to loan him the 1992 Pulitzer Prize winner, Maus, the biographical graphic novel about the Holocaust.  Literary value?  Check.  Not for children?  Check.

Personally, I greatly enjoy a well-written, well-illustrated graphic novel.  It's a quick read, but offers mental stimulation.  Many works are aimed at older readers and explore societal issues, such as the violent dystopian series Battle Royale, which I've previously reviewed in conjunction with The Hunger Games, or the aforementioned Maus.  A graphic novel can literally illustrate a scene in ways which might not be conferred as clearly in text.  Compare it to reading a book and then watching a movie based on the book - except with a graphic novel, you're getting the text and the picture simultaneously.

What do you think of graphic novels?

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In light of all this, I figure it's about time to add another feature to my blog, to showcase graphic novels.  I haven't come up with a pithy title for it yet; I'm open to suggestions.  Today, I am featuring Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol.

Statistics
Checkouts: New to the library
Typical reader: Any of my older graphic novel fans
Source: Scholastic book fair

Synopsis: Anya, a Russian teen immigrant, cuts class and falls down an old, abandoned well.  There, she encounters a skeleton from 100 years ago - and the ghost to go with it.  When she's rescued, a finger bone accidentally comes with, and she finds herself with a spectral friend tagging along to school and parties.  But is having a ghost as a friend really such a good thing?

My Goodreads rating: 5 stars

The art style in this graphic novel reminded me a lot of those in Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: stark and to the point, yet visually appealing.  The illustrations are simplistic, yet all characters are easily identifiable and the almost grayscale coloration sets the mood quite well.

Anya is a complex protagonist who many teen girls could relate to.  She must deal with issues at home, fitting in with her peers, how she views her body, and the highs and lows of a crush.  As an added bonus, she's smart, witty, and a bit snarky.  Through both the words and pictures, we get a similar feel for those around her, from her delinquent friend Siobhan to the pretty girl dating Anya's crush.  Everybody is portrayed very realistically.

Emily is the ghost that moves the plot along.  That's not to say that she's merely a plot device, but the story does center around her, how she affects Anya's life, and what really led to her death in the old well.  She starts off meek and lonely, then helpful and friendly as she aids Anya in school and offers a unique companionship.  Her motives start to become questionable, though, in dealing with Anya's crush.  And what will Anya uncover about Emily's past?

With a bit of librarian geekiness, I must offer Kudos to Ms. Brosgol for including the scene where Anya and a classmate not only go to the public library to do research, but also use the microfilm reader to look at old newspapers.  That's seriously awesome.

In sum, this is a good ghost story as well as a coming-of-age tale, aided by illustrations that really suit it well.

Yay for YA: Paranormalcy review

I'm writing this with a fever and chills, so I may need to revisit this and revise it when I'm feeling better.  Anyway, here's my review of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

Statistics
Checkouts: Coming soon to the library
Typical reader: Middle school to teen girls who like paranormal fantasy/romance
Source: personally purchased at the Scholastic Book Fair

Synopsis: Evie can see things no one else can - she sees beneath the glamour of all sorts of paranormals.  She works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, bagging and tagging paranormals around the globe.  Life is good with the IPCA; her best friend is a mermaid, she has a pretty pink taser, and she often makes it home in time to watch her favorite teen soap.  But then two things happen to shake up her life: paranormals are mysteriously dying, and a weird shapeshifter breaks into the IPCA.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

I do have to grumble a little bit over what probably won't be a concern for the average reader of this book: the binding.  This book is 335 pages in the paperback format, and squished into a width less than two centimeters (at least in the Scholastic edition).  Gah.  Heaven help the librarian that has to rebind this, if it ever has pages come loose.  Also, even if you're as careful with books as I am, you'll probably end up creasing the spine somewhat.

But you're not here to read about the worries of how a book is made, are you?  You're here to learn about what's inside, what the author has to offer with her writing.  Overall, what's available is pretty dang good.

Paranormalcy comes across fluffy on the surface, but really has a lot of depth.  Evie is both a lighthearted girlie-girl who loves pink, fashion, and teen soap operas, and a teen searching for herself without knowing the extent of her powers or what she really is.  She also yearns for a normal life with a locker.  The sum of all parts of Evie is a strong, complex heroine that is both delightful and someone readers can relate to.

My favorite character was Alisha, the mermaid.  (Lish the fish?  Really?)  She lives in a tank in the IPCA, in the central processing room, loving her job and being Evie's best friend.  Since she's in a tank full of water, she talks through a computer, giving her a mechanical voice that will not translate when she swears.  Her reassuring Evie about how her faerie ex-boyfriend is no good in a series of "bleeping" is funny and endearing.  Indeed, the lack of actual swearing and lack of other "adult themes" make this a YA novel that I could comfortably hand to an older elementary student.

There is romance in this novel.  Just because there's an ex-boyfriend in the picture as well as a new hottie attracting Evie's attention doesn't make for a love triangle, though, thank goodness (there's something overdone in YA romance these days).  Reth, the faerie ex, was dumped by Evie after a show of scary violence.  And she still wants nothing to do with him, despite his advances and attempts at following whatever his strange agenda is regarding her.  Smart girl!  No, the romance is between Evie and the weird shapeshifter that breaks into the IPCA, whose name is Lend and comes across as a pretty nice guy.  After all heck breaks loose there, the plot focuses on Evie and Lend in a completely different environment.  It starts to reach the point of "blah" but soon gets back into plot and action.

I had a little problem with the writing/plot.  Multiple times, I guessed what was going to happen, and was proven right.  It was a little too predictable for my tastes.  This is a fun novel, but predictable.  The predictability does not hinder the experience enough to lower my rating, or to keep me from wanting to read the next in the series.

Guilty Pleasure: A review of Heartless, by Gail Carriger

I am in need of another category of reviews, for today I finished a book that I greatly enjoyed, but does not fall into the realm of school library material.  A school librarian cannot always restrict herself to books for a younger audience, and needs to indulge in a little guilty pleasure now and then.  Thus, I bring you the first installment of "Guilty Pleasures," with Gail Carriger's fourth Parasol Protectorate novel, Heartless.

Synopsis: Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is back for a fourth adventure in the supernatural/steampunk series, the Parasol Protectorate.  This time, she must investigate and hopefully stop a threat to the queen, while dealing with a suffragette sister, zombie porcupines, a werewolf pup who cannot grasp his new life, and much more, including being eight months pregnant.

My Goodreads rating: 5 stars (4.5 really, but there aren't half-stars there)

This book could almost be considered for my "Yay for YA" reviews.  My local public library does in fact shelve the series in the teen/YA section.  Frankly, though, there's just too much bodice-ripping in the first novel in the saga for it to be in a school library.

That said, I adore this series!  It is incredibly witty, in a proper Victorian British manner.  And it is appropriately witty too, perfectly capable of being serious in tone as needed.  The humor in the descriptions are probably the biggest attraction the Parasol Protectorate offers.  I often find myself tittering over some passage or other as I indulge in these tomes.

The mythology of the supernatural/preternatural beings is great.  Ms. Carriger put a lot of effort into planning what exactly vampires, werewolves, and ghosts are in her world, as well as that special being called a preternatural that the heroine Alexia Maccon, nee Tarabotti, is.  To sum it up, vampires and werewolves are undead creatures that had enough excess of soul to survive the transformation upon death.  Ghosts are the spirits of the deceased who also had an excess of soul, and whose bodies are reasonably preserved (or newly dead).  Preternatural beings are born, on the other hand, and are soulless.  Alexia, like her father before her, is apparently nature's way of balancing out the supernatural - at her touch, vampires and werewolves are made human and ghosts are exorcised.

This well-concocted mythology is a deep spring, flowing with potential plot lines for the series.  And the depths are plumbed with fantastic results, ranging from little side-plots with clavigers and drones (werewolf and vampire servants, respectively, who wish to be eventually changed) to the running metaplot of what happens when a preternatural and a werewolf marry.  It may be a bit of a series spoiler to have already mentioned the fact that our heroine is eight months pregnant in this book, but believe me, there's a lot of drama surrounding that little "infant-inconvenience" than just impeding movement.

The characters are enjoyable and well-rounded.  In this fourth book, we learn more about several characters who had previously been minor, including Alexia's half-sister Felicity - who is quite not the blonde airhead Alexia thought she grew up with.  I enjoyed learning more about the indefatigable butler, Floote, and the werewolf pack's Beta, Professor Lyall.

This episode of the life of Alexia (Tarabotti) Maccon is my favorite!  There is so much going on, with ample doses of mystery, intrigue, action scenes, and tea-drinking.  A couple little points seemed far too nicely tied up, but otherwise it was a wonderful yarn.

Now if only the covers matched the books!  The backdrops are lovely, but the damsel as pictured above is obviously not eight months pregnant and in possession of a healthy appetite.