Twisted Kingdom

The 65th Worldcon - the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society - will be held in Japan this year, a first! During the Worldcom, Hugo Awards are given based on how fans voted - I guess a bit like the RWA convention and its awards :P

So here are Nippon 2007 Hugo Nominations for work done in 2006
(might be a very good source of recommendations)

Best novel

Eifelheim by Michael Flynn (Tor)
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
Glasshouse by Charles Stross (Ace)
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (Tor)
Blindight by Peter Watts (Tor)

Best Novella

The Walls of the Universe by Paul Melko
A Billions Eves by Robert Reed
Inclination by William Shunn
Lord Weary's Empire by Michael Swanwick
Julian: a Christmas Story by Robert Charles Wilson

Best Novelette

Yellow Card Man by Paolo Bacigalupi
Dawn, and Sunset, and the Colours of the Earth by Michael F Flynn
The Djinn's Wife by Ian McDonald
All the Things You are by Mike Resnick
Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter by Geoff Ryman

Best Short Story

How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
Kin by Bruce McAllister
Impossible Dreams by Tim Pratt
Eight Episodes by Robert Reed
The House Beyond Your Sky by Benjamin Rosenbaum

Best Related Book

About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, and Five Interviews by Samuel R. Delany
Heinlein's Children: The Juveniles by Joseph T. Major
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B Sheldon by Julie Phillips
Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio by John Picacio
Worldcon Guest of Honor Speeches by Mike Resnick and Joe Siclari, eds.

Youppi!!! Our second guest review! Keep them coming! By the way, these reviews don't have to be new reviews... old reviews are welcomed, because our goal is to spread our love for fantasy and paranormal books :) Also, another reminder concerning the contest, buddy reviews with us are also considered an entry in the contest :)

So our second guest review is by Marg from Reading Adventures!


Ill Wind by Rachel Caine: 4.0/5
published by ROC Fantasy in 2003

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life... Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...

Just some of the good fairy tale retellings out there:

Dennis L. McKiernan
Once Upon a Winters Night
Once Upon a Springs Morning
Once Upon a Summer Day
Once Upon an Autumn Eve
And it looks like there is a fifth one coming out in October called Once Upon a Dreadful Day.

Mercedes Lackey
Elemental Masters:
The Fire Rose
The Serpent's Shadow
The Gates of Sleep
Phoenix and Ashes
The Wizard of London
Reserved for the Cat
Fairy Tale:
Firebird
The Black Swan
Five Hundred Kingdoms:
The Fairy Godmother
One Good Knight
Fortune's Fool

Terri Windling's Fairy Tale series
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars by Steven Brust
Jack, the Giant Killer by Charles de Lint
The Nightingale by Kara Dalkey
Snow White and Red Rose by Patricia Wrede
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
White as Snow by Tanith Lee
Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost

Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card

Robin McKinley (not all fairy tales)
Beauty
Spindles End
Water
Hero and the Crown
Sunshine (more urban fantasy)
Blue Sword
Deerskin
Outlaws of Sherwood
Rose Daughter
Door in the Hedge

Shannon Hale
Enna Burning
River Secrets
Princess Academy
The Goose Girl

All right, today was supposed to be a guest review, but we still haven't received any except for Stephanie's which I already posted. Need I remind you our contest? LOL :) Anyway, as a result, you guys will have to content with a review of mine... which was supposed to be posted on Friday... what can I say? I was a bit busy, reading other books ^^; Anyway, here we go...



I've discovered Margaret Weis through her fabulous Dragonlance Saga co-written with Tracy Hickam (just read their books, you can skip all the rest which are spin-off written by other authors based on her world and characters). It is really an awesome saga - a bit similar to Lord of the Ring. In any case, I think she's a great author... So when I saw Warrior Angel at the bookstore, I didn't hesitate to purchase it, even though I wasn't aware she had this book coming out. You'll find Warrior Angel in the romance section - her first attempt away from fantasy- but I mean, there's angels and demons so it fits this blog :P By the way, just in case you're wondering, Lizz is her daughter.



Warrior Angel by Margaret & Lizz Weis: 1.5/5
published by Avon in February 2007

Dereck de Molay was a knight of the Knight of Templar and was tortured to death by the Inquisition. Angered at God for abandoning him, Dereck refused to ascend to Heaven and instead, became a reputated general Warrior Angel, defending Heaven against Hell. Centuries later, Dereck is given an important mission which requires him to become human again.

Rachel Duncan is a commodities trader with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and loves working at the pit, making trades and money. Everything is going wonderful at the moment and she believes to have met the man of her life, Andreas Zanus. He's rich, romantic and the dream, perfect man every woman dreams about. Her only problems: he's a client and although he's a dream man, she is unsure of her feelings for him. Instead, she's attracted to the new doorman with a very old vocabulary and manners.



Genre: paranormal romance, angels, Hell
Series: none

Review: What can I say about this book that the grade didn't say? Seriously, I was really disappointed by this book. I was expecting something much better, given what I've already read by Ms. Weis Mother. Even the romance in her fantasy saga was better than in this book ^^; I guess she tried too hard to write something "romantic" and so missed her shot.

The Characters - BORING! Really, I dislike Rachel, I thought she was a bit superficial and she didn't know herself either, what she wanted and what she needed. She just went out with Zanus because he was supposedly the dream/perfect man. You get emotions from her, but I thought it was shallow. Dereck is not as bad, but still... I thought he adapted himself too quickly to this new era... remember, he lived centuries ago! and poof, suddenly, he's a doorman in Chicago and doesn't ask too much questions... didn't fly with me. There was lack of developement for the characters and worst, no chemistry between them. I can't really understand why Dereck fell in love with Rachel... There were other characters, most of them superfluous in my opinion, but they don't appear much.

The Story & Writing - the writing style was okay, but the story? Not enough world-building and the plot wasn't interesting. I think that Ms. Weis (mother and daughter) didn't know what to focus about... the romance or the story, and it showed, unfortunately. All in all, you are told facts and things without details or how it happened. When I read a book, it's for the journey, the adventure. But there was none here - the reader wasn't brought along, didn't witness anything. Even the ending... why did Dereck come back?

The Cover - interestingly enough, that's the best part of the book I think ^^;

Am I keeping this book? Don't think so...

Anything else? Really disappointed. Hope that Ms. Weis' next venture in romance goes better. I mean, if she wants to write romance, she doesn't have to change much her writing style. Still write a good adventures with good characters and just emphasizes a little more on the romance... In the worse case, her books will still be shelved in the fantasy section. Better write a good fantasy book than get bad reviews.

For those of you that do not know what I am talking about, yesterday was the end of our first contest to win a book by one of our authors of the month that me and Nat will be reading over the coming months. Thanks to everyone that advertised our relaunch, and I hope that people are enjoying things so far!

So, on to the important information, who won!
Ames from Thrifty Reader!!!! Congrats Ames!

*This is a sticky note! Please scroll down for reviews and new posts!*

Welcome to Twisted Kingdom v.2! As you know, we are re-inventing this blog to make it better than it was! Lots of new features and reviews coming up! To know all about it, you can read it here:

Twisted Kingdom's rebirth!
Author of the Month: Neil Gaiman!
Twisted Kingdom's Contests!


*This is a sticky note! Please scroll down for reviews and new posts!*

This is the sequel to Tithe, which me and Mailyn both reviewed last year.

Valiant by Holly Black
Rating: 3/5
Pages: 313
Genre: Faerie Tale/Fantasy/Young Adult
Published by Simon Pulse in October 2006

When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.

But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.

When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honorable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.

Bestselling author Holly Black follows her breakout debut, Tithe, with a rich, harrowing, and compulsively readable parable of betrayal, abuse, friendship, and love.

Lover Revealed by J.R.Ward
published by Onyx Paranormal Romance in March 2007

Ames’s grade: B-/C+ (i.e. 3/2.75)
Nath’s grade: 3/5 (for John)

I can’t say that I was disappointed, because I didn’t really have any expectations about this book. I mean Butch is human. And I didn’t really like Marissa anyway. She came off as kind of doormat-ish in Dark Lover (which I just finished rereading).

I agree wholeheartedly with Ames. Personally, I have not been a fan of this series… the only book I thought was above average was Dark Lover. I enjoyed Lover Awakened well enough, because Zsadist was truly a tortured hero, but otherwise, I thought the book was average. I’ve never connected that much with Butch and I found Marissa annoying in other books, so… it didn’t bode well for me and this book.

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world- to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him...

Genre: vampires
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #4

What I wanted to read this book for was all the man-love that was supposedly going on. I love the man-love. But I didn’t really think it was that obvious in this book. I mean, Butch doesn’t feel anything that way for Viscious. So my new man-love obsession is going to be Blaylock, because I think he’s gay. Well, I’m hoping he’s gay.

Personally, I wasn’t going to buy this book at all… or at least wait a couple of weeks or months, but then everyone started gushing about it and well, I wanted to do a buddy review with you, Ames :P As for the man-love, are you sure it was ever there? Well I guess yeah, Viscious does feel something for Butch, but I don’t think it’s love with a bit “L”… maybe envy or needing… but not the undying kind of love. As for Blaylock, seriously I don’t know where you got the idea that he might be gay ^^; But hey, I hope you’re right if it’s going to make you enjoy the rest of the series better :P

As with Lover Awakened, I skipped the lesser parts. I could have kind of skipped the Butch and Marissa parts as well. I just didn’t connect with them as a couple. In fact, I was enjoying the glimpses of other couples we saw more. Like Z and Bella running through the hall. And Wrath and Beth. I heart WRATH. He was so gloriously jealous when Beth had to feed Butch. I ate that right up!

Lessers – bleh. How many of you are reading those parts, raise your hands! Maybe I’m missing something by skipping those parts, but so far I don’t feel the loss LOL. When I bought the book, I decided to give Butch and Marissa a chance… and it lasted two chapters. After all their whining and self-pity – I just wasn’t interested and they just hadn’t caught my interest :P So I was a bad girl and I did skip their parts – no wonder I was able to finish the book in one night :P I too enjoyed the other “old” characters more… As for new ones… it looks to me like way too much sequel baiting and it complicates the story so much. Seriously, where are we heading to? Does someone know?

And the only reason I’m going to keep reading this series is for John. I can’t wait for John to go through his transformation. And no, I don’t think John will be gay, and I don’t want him to be.

I love John! And just like Ames, he’s the reason I’m going to buy the other books till he gets his own, because I’m sure Ms. Ward is going to continue writing his story in the following books like she did in Lover Revealed. Although I’m not sure if I’m going to like the post-transformation. It’s interesting to see all his conflicts, desires to grow stronger and etc, but what really happens when he gets stronger? What is he going to do?

So that’s it. Read this book for John.

Amen.

Anyway, just to sum it up, I thought Lover Revealed follow the same path as the previous ones and that nothing special really happened. In my opinion, Butch and Marissa are Ms. Ward’s weakest characters to date. What frustrates me also is that the more you read, the more unanswered questions you come up with… Ms. Ward keeps adding characters and complex storylines, but besides the fact that it’ll allow her to write more books, is there a significance to them? Also, what is happening to Viscious? I don’t recognize him anymore…

Oh and here is a series of questions that Sandie has come up with for those of us who have read Lover Revealed. If you’re interested in another opinion of the book, you can read Sandie’s review here :D

1. Pg. 341. Why the reference to Star Trek?! Spock and Kirk. hmmm. I found this line funny...just thought it seemed out of the norm for JR. Whatever...

A: I noticed that too!! I don’t know. LOL Oooh, maybe it has to do with those rumours that Kirk and Spock were lovers?
N: Reference to Star Trek? Where, what?

2. Pg. 308. Is it me, or do you think Wrath's trying to pull JM into the BDB inner circle a bit early? I know he's very unhappy that Tohr has left but...I dunno, I just wonder if this was too much foreshadowing?

A: I think the earlier the Brothers feel like John is one of them, the easier it’ll be for him. And he is one of them (being Darius reincarnated), so I don’t think he’s being pulled in too early.
N: Well, John’s special and he’s also alone. I mean it seems that all of John’s classmates have an entourage to support them, but John doesn’t. His entourage was Tohr and his family and they’re gone. I believe that if Tohr was still there, the brotherhood wouldn’t be pulling John in yet, but given the circumstances, no… I don’t think it’s too early.

3. Pg. 265, Why are there so many coffins in the garage? Do you think its the caskets that the BDB were shipped to NY in? Or is this a sign of something else to come???????

A: I was wondering about that myself. It has to be a sign of things to come.
N: coffins?!? Hmm, I guess I did miss a lot ^^;

4. Random page numbers...How many 270-290 male vampires ranging from 6'2" to 6'7" CAN fit into an Escalade ESV? Seriously, what's the next step for hauling all them big-ass vamps around? Using the school's short school bus?Not everyone's gonna roll with that....

A: It looks like 4 would fit. And maybe someone in the trunk. How many rows of seating?
N: All right… how big is an Escalade ESV? :P but yeah, I’d go with the same answer as Ames.

5. Who's gonna leave the mansion next? We are gonna be popping at the seams soon...so, who's gonna fly? And who far will they go? Build a compound of vampires all protected by mhis?

A: The mansion is a mansion-no one is going anywhere. Plus there’s the house where V stays.
N: ^^;

6. How hot is Qhuinn?! 1 blue eye and 1 green eye...can't wait to see what happens with him.

A: I thought his name was ridiculous and I think Blaylock is hotter.
N: Ugh, yet another character. You know, the more I read and the more I’m thinking Dark-Hunters…

7. Who thinks Blaylock is gay? If so, is he gonna be shagging which brother?

A: He’s gay he’s gay!! He’s going to get his own story line!! I don’t want him with a brother. He’ll get his own lover/storyline. Oooh it would be best if he were bi. Get some m/m/f loving going on!
N: LOL

Our first guest review! Youppi! Today's guest review is by Stephanie, Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic! The best thing is that she reviewed American Gods by Neil Gaiman, our Author of the Month! So hopefully, you'll all enjoy the review! and thank you Stephanie for the guest review!

Enjoy!

American Gods (William Morrow, 2001 pgs. 465) by Neil Gaiman is a book that I've had on my shelf for ages. Thanks to the TBR Challenge, I finally pulled it down. And I'm SO GLAD I did!! It's a fantasy book, which is a fairly new genre for me. But I couldn't ask for a better book to solidify my new love for it! 4.5/5

.... and most other people. I was browsing the internet last night at work and I came across the most interesting article. R2-D2 is to collect post. When I read that, I was like, that cannot mean the obvious... Well, it does! Reportedly, as part of the 30th anniversary of the original release of the first (fourth?) Star Wars, they are making him a mailbox! I love Star Wars, so I am pretty excited. I would love to see one, but this looks like it will be a very American project. And if it was available in Canada, I do not live anywhere near a central area that would have them. I am interested in seeing the special surprise new postal stamp that coincides with this project. I will ask to any of the Americans out there that might end up with one of these mailboxes close to their house, please submit pictures! To read the article, click here

Hello all :D

The last few days have been quite busy :) I just want to remind ppl that yesterday was March 15, and so the second installment of Assassin Study by Maria V. Snyder is up.

Go here to read the next chapter!

To celebrate TK's rebirth, we will have two contests!

Here how they work:

The first contest is simple and the goal is to spread the word about TK's rebirth! All you have to do is make a short announcement on your blog, myspace or website about TK's rebirth and link back to us using the buttons in the sidebar. Of course, if you can find better ways to let the world know about TK, go for it :D

The dateline for this contest will be March 25th, 11:59pm. Let us know that you have participated by leaving a comment and the url to your blog, myspace or website in this post! Simple, no?

The second contest is a tad more challenging, but probably much more interesting. That is, you have to write a guest review! It can be any book, as long as there is some fantasy or paranormal element. It could be a book you have just recently read or your favorite fantasy/paranormal book and it doesn't matter whether it has been already reviewed at TK or not! So, how to participate? Easy, you write your review following TK's simple guideline (really just a few requests to make all of our reviews uniform) and submit it at thetwistedk@gmail.com by April 15th, 11:59pm. Your review will most likely be post the following Tuesday or Thursday. The more guest reviews you write, the better your chances to win!

For each contest, we will have a draw to determine the winner :) But, what is the grand prize? The winners will be able to choose their own prize: a fantasy/paranormal book written by one of our featured Author of the Month! Since we have not chosen the Author of the Month for the next following months yet, the winners will be given one year to choose!

Easy, simple and you get a free book!

A new feature that we are implementing at Twisted Kingdom is an author of the month. Right now, it is just between me and Nath, but there might be more going on in the future. For this particular month, I chose Neil Gaiman. The point of this is not to only post about Neil Gaiman, the point of this is that Nath has never read a single Gaiman book, so I challenge her to have read one book by him by April 15th. I gave her some options because we are not rich book bloggers, and she chose to read Stardust. With these authors of the month, it would also be great if more than one book can be read by him, but this is more of a challenge than anything. I have to admit, though, if I could read the four Neil Gaiman books I have in TBR pile, this challenge could work out to lots of benefit.

So, to start this challenge off, I am not going to regurgate his biography, that is what his web site is for, I am going to tell you why I chose Neil Gaiman. I only recently read Neil Gaiman for the first time myself. It was my third year of university, and I was taking a fantasy course. One of the books that we had to read was Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I really enjoyed reading that book, and it made me interested to see more of his efforts. It was a while before I read anything else by him, last summer to be exact, but I have since read Stardust, Neverwhere, and The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes. Good Omens was an apocolyptic-type novel which I highly recommend. Stardust, which I believe is to become a movie, is a bit of a fairy tale. Neverwhere is a lose retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Preludes and Noctunres is the first book in his graphic novel series. In the TBR pile I have American Gods (which I am almost done), Anansi Boys, Coraline, and Smoke and Mirrors. If you are lucky, I might share some of my thoughts on these books between now and April 15th.

So, tune back here on April 15th to see if Nath meets my challenge! But, be sure and read the blog between now and then too because we have a lot of special things going on. To visit Neil Gaiman's Web Site, click here.

Born of the chaos of the Dark Ages, the Dream of Eagles produced a king, a country and an everlasting legend—Camelot

Most know him as Merlyn; all call him Commander. Caius Merlyn Britannicus is responsible for the safety of the colony known as Camulod, and for the welfare of the colonists who look to him for guidance, leadership, justice and salvation. Uther Pendragon, the man who will father the legendary Arthur, is the cousin Merlyn has known and loved since their births—four hours apart on the same day, the year the legions left Britain. As different as can be, they are inseparable: two faces of the same coin. In a world torn apart by warfare and upheaval, each is the other’s certainty until a vicious crime—one that strikes at the roots of Merlyn’s own life—drives a wedge between them.

Hey everyone!!!

Just a very quick post for those of you who are fans of Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, but are not subscribed to her newsletter :D Since Fire Study's release date has been pushed back, way back, Ms. Snyder was kind enough to provide us with something that'll make the wait a bit easier: Assassin Study.

Assassin Study is an online short story about Valek trying to save Yelena by going after the assassin who has taken the execution order. This short story takes place between Poison Study and Magic Study. There'll be an installment every 15 days, till May 1st (if I'm not wrong) and the cool thing is that the readers can choose what happens next!

If you're interested, follow the link to Assassin Study :)

Enjoy!

I have to say that although I've been reading quite a lot of paranormal romances in the past few years, I've been sticking to the mainstream kinds - or perhaps, I should say, the authors have sticked to the mainstream kinds. However, this is changing and authors are starting to diversify the paranormal beings in their books. As a result, I've been wanting to read Hell's Belle ever since I've heard about it, because the main character is a succubus.



Hell's Belle by Jackie Kessler: 3.75/5
published in January 2007 by Zebra/Kesington Books (Trade paperback format)

Hell on Earth starts here…

Jezebel’s not your average exotic dancer. For one thing, she’s a 4,000-year-old succubus. For another, she’s on the run from Hell (which isn’t easy to do in high heels). Hiding on the mortal coil as a human doesn’t protect her from muggers, lactose intolerance…or having feelings for Paul Hamilton, a man haunted by his past. Demons are closing in, which is enough to make Jezebel shiver in her G-string. But it’s her love for Paul that’s going to have deadly consequences. (Humans, she laments, really should come with instruction manuals.)

Jezebel was unhappy with the changes and new leadership in Hell and decided to pack and leave. As a result, the new Lord of Hell put a bounty on her head, sent his hunters after her to set an example. To escape, Jezebel obtained a human body through witchcraft, borrowed the look, identity, credit cards and amulet, which protects from Evil beings, of Cailtin, the witch who helped her and left Salem for New York. In the train station, she met Paul, a NY cop, and there was this instant connection between them. While adapting to her life, with the help of Paul who wants to help her (he thinks she was abused and forced into prostitution), she finds a job as an exotic dancer which is right up her alley. However, it doesn't take long for friends and ennemies to find her...

Enough time has passed for the young girl Jaenelle, heir to the magical Darkness. Her physical wounds have healed, while amnesia keeps her frightening memories at bay. But with Saetan--a Black-Jewelled Warlord Prince and Jaenelle's foster-father--to protect her, she will continue to grow. Her magic will mature. Her memories will return. And Jaenelle will face her destiny when she remembers Daemon, Saetan's son, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her love.