Twisted Kingdom

Margaret Weis has written a lot of books during her career, she had several books out this year alone. For the Author of the month challenge, though, I will be concentrating on her work on the Dragonlance novels. I will not be able to read all of them, of course, but I am hoping to read a couple between now and July 15th and then continue with more throughout the year.

Dragonlance : Chronicles (with Tracy Hickman)
1. Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984)
2. Dragons of Winter Night (1985)
3. Dragons of Spring Dawning (1985)
Dragonlance Chronicles (1988)
4. Dragons of Summer Flame (1995)
The Annotated Chronicles (1999)

3. Test of the Twins (1986)
2. War of the Twins (1986)
1. Time of the Twins (1986)
Dragonlance Legends (1986)
The Annotated Legends (2003)

Dragonlance
Dragons of Glory (1986) (with Douglas Niles)
The Best of Tales (2000) (with Tracy Hickman)
The Best of Tales Volume 2 (2002) (with Tracy Hickman)
Spectre of Sorrows (2004)
Dragons in the Archives: The Best of Weis And Hickman (2004) (with Tracy Hickman)
Intro to Dragonlance Boxed Set (2004)
The Magic of Krynn: Tales, Volume One (2005) (with Tracy Hickman)
Holy Order of the Stars (2005)

Dragonlance : Tales (with Tracy Hickman)
3. Love and War (1987)
1. The Magic of Krynn (1987)
2. Kender, Gully Dwarves and Gnomes (1987)
Dragonlance Tales: Magic of Krynn, Kender, Gully Dwarves and Gnomes and Love and War (1991)

Dragonlance : Tales II
1. The Reign of Istar (1992) (with Tracy Hickman, Richard A Knaak and Michael Williams)
2. The Cataclysm (1992) (with Nancy Varian Berberick, Tracy Hickman, Roger E Moore)
3. The War of the Lance (1992) (with Tracy Hickman, Richard A Knaak and Michael Williams)

Dragonlance : Dragons (with Tracy Hickman)
1. The Dragons of Krynn (1994)
2. The Dragons at War (1996)
3. The Dragons of Chaos (1996)
Dragons of Time (2007)

The Second Generation (1994)

1. The Doom Brigade (1996)
2. Draconian Measures (2000)
Dragonlance : Raistlin
1. The Soulforge (1997)
2. Brothers in Arms (1999) (with Don Perrin)

Relics and Omens: Tales of the Fifth Age (1998)
Heroes and Fools: Tales of the Fifth Age (1999)
Rebels and Tyrants: Tales of the Fifth Age (2000)

1. Dragons of a Fallen Sun (2000) (with Tracy Hickman)
2. Dragons of a Lost Star (2001) (with Tracy Hickman)
3. Dragons of a Vanished Moon (2002) (with Tracy Hickman)
War of Souls Gift Set (2003) (with Tracy Hickman)
The Search for Power (2004)

Sovereign Stone (with Tracy Hickman)
1. Well of Darkness (2000)
2. Guardians of the Lost (2001)
3. Journey into the Void (2003)

Dragonlance : Tales from the War of Souls (with Tracy Hickman)
1. The Search for Magic (2001)
2. The Players of Gilean (2003)

Dragonlance : Young Adult Chronicles (with Tracy Hickman)
2. Night of the Dragons (2003)
1. A Rumor of Dragons (2003)
3. The Nightmare Lands (2003)
4. To The Gates of Palanthas (2003)
5. Hope's Flame (2004)
6. A Dawn of Dragons (2004)
Chronicles for Young Readers Gift Set (2004)

1. Amber and Ashes (2004)
2. Amber and Iron (2006)
3. Amber and Blood (2007)

Dragonlance : Dark Chronicles (with Tracy Hickman)
1. Dragons of the Dwarven Depths (2006)
2. Dragons Of The Highlord Skies (2007)

Not even all of these books interest me, but hopefully the ones that do, I will read in the coming months.

So, last months author of the month has been over for a few days, but I sort of lost track of the date. I find that June has gone by very quickly! That means that I meant to have Colleen Gleason's book read by the 15th, but I lost track of when the 15th was! Many apologies, but she is giving away an advanced reading copy of her new book, so it was a good author of the month month.

Now, we move on to the new author of the month: Margaret Weis. So, my plan is to read as many Dragonlance books as I can between now and the 15th (or so) of July. Tomorrow I will post a bit of a biography and a book list. I really like her writing, so hopefully I can get through a lot of her books! First, though, I am going to read Colleen Gleason's new book and post all about it!

As Kailana said earlier this week, although "Kelley Armstrong" month is over, we still have reviews of her books in store! So here is the review of Haunted from Rhinoa from Rhinoa's Ramblings. You've pretty much figured out that we, gals at TK, were fans of Kelley Armstrong, so I thought it'd be nice to have an outsider's opinion! :D



Haunted - Kelley Armstrong
published by Orbit (2005)

Series: Women of the Otherworld series, Book 5

Genre - Horror, Fantasy
Rating - 4/5

Eve Levine - half-demon, black witch and devoted mother - has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can't be killed again - which comes in handy when you've made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn't too bad - all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter Savannah and she'll be happy.

But fate - or more exactly, the Fates - have other plans. Eve owes them a favour, and they're just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does anymore damage, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy - previous hunters have been sent mad in the process. As if that's not problem enough, it turns out that the only way to stop her is with an angel's sword. And Eve's no angel...

The fifth in the series which has Eve Levine (Savannah's mother) as the heroine despite the small issue of her being dead! Eve is called in to help the Fates capture the Nix, a viscious being that helps give people the confidence to commit rape, murder and torture. Three have already failed in the quest before Eve gets roped in.

This was possibly my favourite so far. There is lots of information about Eve (who seems to have been slightly misunderstood and misrepresented in the previous books...) and the whostworld (where apparently you can still enjoy physical relationships with other ghosts!). Eve is a great character, the ones with a dodge past always seem to make for more interesting lead roles, and she really contrasts with the horrible things that the Nix has been involved in. I liked using the Nix to explain how people were pushed over the edge to become serial killers and rapists. The addition of the angels, especially Trsiel worked really well in the scheme of the story as well.

Disturbingly good humour!

Added: Ames' review at the bottom of Kailana's.

From Canada's new queen of suspense, another hugely entertaining supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Prepare to be enchanted . . .

Forget the cackling green hag in The Wizard of Oz, forget Samantha from Bewitched. Real witches are nothing, NOTHING like this. For years real witches have hidden their powers, afraid of being persecuted. They have integrated so well into the community, you could have a witch living right next door and never know about it. Take Paige, for instance, whom we first met in Kelley Armstrong's novel Stolen. Just an ordinary twenty-something who runs her own website design company, worries about her weight and wonders if she'll ever find a boyfriend. Okay, so she's leader of the American Coven and guardian of Savannah, the teenage daughter of a black witch. Really, life is ordinary. But then a telekinetic half-demon, Leah O'Donnell, shows up to fight for custody of Savannah. And although Paige is ready for her, she's not quite so prepared for the team of supernaturals that Leah brings with her, including a powerful sorcerer who claims to be Savannah's father.

When all hell breaks loose -- literally -- and Paige is accused of witchcraft, Satanism and murder, the Coven, fearing exposure, abandons her. Cut off from her friends, Paige is forced against her better judgment to accept the help of a young sorcerer lawyer. And she quickly comes to realize that keeping Savannah could mean losing everything else.

Breathtakingly thrilling, hip and funny, this new novel is another page-turning triumph from an author who is going from strength to strength.

Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Published by Seal Books in 2004

3.5/5

It is sad that you are in love with a series, and then there is the book. The book that is not terrible, but after reading the other two books before it and loving it, it disappoints you. I finished this book on my trip, but it took me a bit longer to get through. I really liked Bitten and Stolen, but this one was not as great. I think the problem with it is not that it was badly written, but that in the previous book there was a group of main characters and lots of action, this book sort of slows down after reading that one.

And, I am sorry to the author, but Paige ANNOYED me. It started in Stolen, but by the time that I finished this book I was resisting the urge to tell her to smarten up or something. She tried, it was obvious she was trying not to be annoying, but she annoyed me. That being said, it was still not a bad book. Paige is a witch, so this book followed the witch community. Paige was introduced to us in Stolen when she went to warn the werewolf community that there were people hunting down the paranormal community.

In this book, we see a major contrast between the werewolf community and the witch community. The werewolves stand by each other, they will go to bat for each other no matter what. For the witches, they have turned away from their roots and spend their life trying to hide the truth of their identity from the outside world. They do not approve of Paige taking in Savannah because her mother was a black witch, but they do not stop their. When one of the evil people from the previous novel returns seeking Savannah, Paige is set up countless times and risks losing Savannah forever, but the witch community will not help her.

Overall, it was not a terrible novel, and I just have no patience for some of the characteristics of Paige, but it was not enough to make me not want to continue with the series. I think one of the problems with Paige is she is younger than Elena. I still look forward to reading Industrial Magic.


AMES' Take on Dime Store Magic

Grade: I hate grading - but if I must, I give this a B-.

I read Bitten 4 years ago and loved it. It was Canadian, featured werewolves and had a great romantic element. I read Stolen when it was released, but I my preference remained with Bitten. Then I bought Dime Store Magic and tried reading it. But like Kailana, Paige annoyed me-big time. She annoyed me in Stolen and I just couldn't be bothered. Witches? Please.
But then Nath had her challenge and I just had to give this another shot, because reviews of No Humans Involved sparked my interest. I figured it other people could muddle through DMS, I should be able to as well.

Although the first 100 pages were very slow to get through, I'm glad I persevered. Paige will never be one of my favourite characters, but I liked her by the end of the book. What made those first 100 pages so hard was the fact that we have a somewhat clueless goody two-shoe who is up against some villainous characters who will get their way, no matter what. So I just knew all these bad things were going to happen to her, and I just can't deal with that kind of tension. But when I realized Paige was not going to crack under all the stress from these events happening, I decided to have faith in Ms. Armstrong's character. Once that happened, this book turned into a good read and now I'm definitely looking forward to Industrial Magic.

And although this review is being posted late-I did finish it before the deadline! Bring it on, Nath. LOL

So, today is the 15th of a new month, so that means that there is a new author of the month! We will continue to be posting reviews about Kelley Armstrong until all of them are up, but in the meantime, we are moving on. The author of the month for this month is the wonderful Colleen Gleason. The reason that she is the author of the month is less because it is a challenge, and more because on June 5th, 2007, Colleen's new book will be out. All of the Twisted Kingdom staff are excited because we want to know what happens next, and because Colleen is very approachable and has made her presence known on our blog in the past. Also, Nath has never read anything by Colleen, so she will have to read the first book because she is missing out. Then, me and Ames will be reading her new book for sure. I have been waiting since January to find out what happened, so I am anxious to see how the series continues (but then we have to wait until February of next year for book three! The agony!) Anyways, tune in this month to see the thoughts on Rises the Night and The Rest Falls Away.

It's finally my turn to review one of Kelley Armstrong book: Industrial Magic!! It's funny, because while Kailana and Ames' challenge was to read one of the book, my challenge is that all of the Women of the Otherworld books are reviewed at TK before the 15th! LOL! All right, onto the review now... This is my favorite of the series, so it might be a little bit biased.

Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong: 4.75/5
published by Seal Books in 2004

From Kelley Armstrong website:

Think your in-laws are scary? Try meeting Paige Winterbourne's potential father-in-law: CEO of the Cortez Cabal, a multinational corporation...and the supernatural equivalent of the Mafia. Lucas Cortez has devoted his life to ruining the Cabals, though that doesn’t stop his father from expecting him to take over the family business someday. Benicio’s favorite ploy is to appeal to Lucas’s quixotic ideals by asking him to investigate Cabal cases of injustice.

After years of failure, Benicio finally has the perfect case: a teenage witch attacked and left for dead. Refusing will be difficult enough for Lucas...near impossible for his new witch girlfriend. Paige and Lucas soon discover that the young witch wasn't the first Cabal teenager attacked.
When the infighting among the Cabals threatens to let the killer continue his spree, Paige and Lucas decide it’s up to them to stop him. The chase takes them on a cross-country hunt through the supernatural world, where allies can be found in the strangest places, including a celebrity necromancer, a wise-cracking Celtic deity, a pissed-off ghost, a half-mad clairvoyant, and a group of vampires who’d really rather be in an Anne Rice novel.

Genre: vampires, witches, sorcerers, vampires, werewolves, ghost, necromancers, urban fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book 4

Review: I usually don't take synopsis from others, but in this case, I didn't really know what to say as so much is happening, that I've decided to make an exception. All in all, this book was great! I know that some find Paige a little bit annoying, but this book was more focused on the case and so much more interesting than Dime Store Magic where the book was mainly focus on Paige's struggle. We also get to see a myriad of old characters (the vampires: Cassandra, Aaron, the werewolves: Elena, Clay and Jeremy, the demon: Adam) and get introduced to new very interesting ones (necromancer: Jaime and ghost: Eve, sorcerers: Benicio and the rest of the Cabals).

I think that Kelley Armstrong achieved a great balance in this book between the development of the characters as well as the mystery/suspense aspect. I like how this book doesn't pick up right after Dime Store Magic, but instead a few months after. It gives time for Paige and Lucas relationship to develop as well as their interaction with Savannah. Also, Paige's interaction with the other supernatural beings was also very interesting. What I really enjoy is that every character has their own personality and most of them do not follow cliche, which is hard to avoid. Also, I found Paige definitively less annoying in this book than in Dime Store Magic. I think that she has matured and doesn't need to prove that she can be a leader. Instead, her focus has shifted for the best.

Although Kelley Armstrong did a great job at characterization and revisiting old characters without it feeling so gratitious, the strong point of this book would definitively the case on which Paige and Lucas are investigating. Not only is the case complex, but very interesting and it kept me wondering. Definitively a strong plot.

Finally, I guess the reason why this book is my favorite is exactly because most of the characters are present and I like to see their interaction with each other. Clay and Lucas' friendship, Elena trying to bond with other females. Jaime is just hilarious and very different from what you'd expected for a necromancer. There's also Savannah and Jeremy's special status...

This is definitively the Must Read book in the series :D

Hey everyone!

Yesterday was the last day to enter the contest for Kelley Armstrong 2007 Pack Prize! This prize includes a signed copy of No Humans Involved (her newest book), a knacksap of Exit Strategy as well as other goodies!

And the lucky winner is...

So Ember, please email us your address at thetwistedk at gmail dot com.

Hey everybody!

Just a reminder to everyone! Tomorrow, May 1st, we'll have an interview with Kelley Armstrong, Author of the Month here at Twisted Kingdom! Look forward to this very interesting interview as well as the prize packet that will be drawn!

So, my challenge for the month was to read Kelley Armstrong. I had never read her before, so I had all her books to handle. I only had to read this one, though, so anything passed this is just an added bonus.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
Published by Sel Books in 2001

4/5

Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.

But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her "family," she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she's increasingly uncertain if it's the right one.

This book has been on my TBR pile for a while now. The second hand bookstore had all her books but one, so I decided to invest in them because I had heard good things. Then, they just sat on the bookshelf... So, Nath challenging me to read them was a very good idea!

I am very big on books that portray women in a positive role. It is so easy for authors to slip into the old-fashioned style of damsel in distress saved by the very handsome young man. I try to avoid books like that. I like to think that both sexes are capable of taking care of themselves if they have to. This book met the criteria. Following Elena, the narrator, through her adventures as the only female in a pack of werewolves. She had left the pack in an attempt to live a "normal" life. She had everything she thought she always wanted, but then the pack leader called her back because they needed her help and suddenly she could not ignore her "abnormal" life anymore.

I liked Elena. She gets the job done. She is supposed to listen to the Alpha, but she has an amazing ability to stand up to him at the same time. She can be annoying, but at the same time she is the only female in a bunch of males, she is a werewolf so that puts her outside her normal society, so she is always fighting to fit in. The other characters in the book are interesting too, though. Jeremy, the Alpha, gets the job done and is a compelling character. He is the brains of the operation. Then, there is Clay, he is the sex appeal, but do not get any ideas because he is already taken! Nick is the comedian who I think should be in the future books, but I see him only being a minor character. His father's character does not get developed very well, nor do the other two members of the pack.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt bad for Elena, because everyone has those moments where they try so hard to fit in and it does not work out for them. She is just a werewolf, but it is a very human problem. The pasts of these characters is also laid out, so they are given depth. I really enjoy this series! Thanks for challenging me to read it Nath, it was worth it.

Welcome to our second edition of the Author of the Month! This month will feature Ms. Kelley Armstrong, creator of the paranormal/fantasy Women of the Otherworld series!

I both admire Ms. Armstrong as an author and as a person. As an author, because the Women of the Otherwold series is awesome. In my opinion, many factors make this series stand out from all the other fantasy/paranormal series featuring paranormal creatures. First is her world building. Ms. Armstrong has kept it simple as all her novels take place in our present time and in the world that we know. There are werewolves, vampires, witches, sorcerers, demons, necromancers and all these people want to remain hidden and pass as normal humans. However, what really makes the world building unique is all the characteristics and details that make her paranormal creatures different than what we know. For example: Ms. Armstrong's vampires have no problem dealing with sunlight and they are mortal (as in they eventually die, although they do live much longer than normal humans) and so on. So these details really make a difference.

There's also the theme of the series, i.e. the Women of the Otherworld. Ms. Armstrong has chosen to write this series in the first-person point of view of female characters. Each novel follow one female character and her adventures... and with her good writing style, Ms. Armstrong is able to pull it off. Even a reader like me, who doesn't usually enjoy the first-person POV, has no problem in this case. All in all, Ms. Armstrong is able to combine humor, little romance, adventures and action well and provide awesome books.

So far, there are 6 books and 1 novella out and her next book is due for May 1st, in hardcover. Here is the chronological order:

- Bitten with Elena, a werewolf, as narrator
- Stolen with Elena, a werewolf, as narrator
- Dime Store of Magic with Paige, a witch, as narrator
- Industrical Magic with Pagie, a witch, as narrator
- Haunted with Eve, a ghost (also witch/half-demon), as narrator
- Chaotic (the novella part of Dates from Hell anthology) with Hope, a half-demon, as narrator
- Broken with Elena, a werewolf, as narrator
- No Humans Involved with Jaime, a necromancer, as narrator - due out on May 1st!

I've also said that I admired Ms. Armstrong as a person. That is because I am amazed of her generosity towards her fans. First, her website is updated on the first of every month. It sounds a bit stupid and simple, but I think it's nice of her. Let us know what she's been up and what is coming so fans are aware of what's happening. Secondly, if you are fans of her books, you'll want to go to her website for the online novella that she's been writing over the years for free. Those are very good and interesting and provides a more detailed background to the series. Also, more recently, is this offer: Return of Hardcover Celebration!

Again, you can go to her website for more details, but here's the short story. Her first book, Bitten, was first published in hardcover. Then, the following books of the series were published in paperback format only. I guess that now that Ms. Armstrong has become more popular and has gained more readership, the publishers have decided to come back to the hardcover format and so, No Humans Involved is going to be first released in hardcover. Ms. Armstrong knows that this format change does not suit everyone, but the decision was not up to her. So to compensate, Ms. Armstrong has offered to give a thank-you Otherworld goodie bag to those who will buy No Humans Involved before May 15th! All the readers have to do is send her your receipts where it's indicated that you have bought the book before May 15th and Ms. Armstrong will send you a goodie bag at her cost with no restriction (i.e. doesn't matter in which country you live)! Isn't that awesome and so generous of her!?!? I know that in the past year, there's been a lot of discussion about authors' behaviors and it's been mostly negative... but I think it's important to highlight the good action of authors as well and this is really something generous from Ms. Armstrong.

Anyway, I'm going to stop gushing and announce the TK TBR Challenge. Simply put, I'm challenging my fellow ladies here at TK to read a book by Kelley Armstrong and to review it. It doesn't matter which book of the series it is, as I know that Kailana hasn't started the series while Ames has already read the first two. So just read one, any of them! LOL :) The challenge is extended to fellow bloggers as well :) If you've read this series and like it, you're welcome to guest review a book :) If you've never read this series and is still hesitant after my post, come back during this month and read the reviews I and others will be posting! :)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
published in 1999

Ames' rating: 4/5
Nath's rating: 4/5

In the tiny village called Wall, things are not quite what they seem...

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named.
Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, he makes a rash promise that sends Tristan through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Series: none

Review: Back in March, Kailana challenged Nath to read a Neil Gaiman book by April 15th. I decided to jump on board because Mailyn sent me Stardust for Christmas. (Thank you, Mailyn!) Nath chose Stardust to meet the challenge, and we decided to do a buddy review.

Nath: I almost didn't make it!!! LOL ^^;

Ames: Despite a slow beginning, I thought this book really picked up and was quite satisfying in the end. I think I read somewhere that Stardust is like a modern fairy tale, and I agree.

Nath: Hmmm... Me I didn't know what to expect really. Upon reading the first few pages, I know it was going to be different, the writing style and all... then, I read the end... couldn't help myself. So when I went to read the beginning, I was wondering how it would tie with the story... but it fit really well. Also, I do agree that it's a satisfying book :)

The wall, by which the town of Wall stands, has one breach in it. And this breach is guarded every day and night to prevent people from going through to the other side. Through the breach, a meadow can be seen, and on the other side of the meadow, a forest. Every nine years, there is a Faery Fair in the meadow, and the guard is relaxed for one whole day. As a mini-spoiler, I have to say that Tristan is the result of a resident of Wall charming a lady from the Other Side. Only he doesn't know about his birth mother and blissfully lives his life in Wall. One day, in his 18th year, he walks home Victoria Forester, his love, and in a passionate bid for her hand, he tells her he will give her the star they just watched fall out of the sky. And Stardust is the story of Tristan Thorn's journey to find that fallen star.

Tristan's fate isn't the only one tied to the star's. There are three old witches, who need the heart of a star to remain young. A dying king's three sons must find the star to control the throne of Stormhold. And the star herself, who was knocked unceremoniously out of sky, has a destiny to fulfill as well.

An interesting story, fast paced, with some great characters. I think this is a great introduction to Neil Gaiman.

I liked the story, however, I disagree with Ames' comments on fast-paced. I didn't think this book was fast-paced at all, perhaps because of Mr. Gaiman's writing style. His writing style is so smooth that when you read the book, it feels gentle, peaceful and very passive. You're not in the action with the characters, but you're looking from afar... which is very different than nowaday's books, especially fantasy and I think it was a nice change. I agree with Ames that this was a nice introduction to Neil Gaiman, but I think this book is an exception. As in if I read Neverwhere or American Gods, the writing style will be very different and more contemporary... and that's why I'll be reading another book of his very soon.

Kailana's Questions

Did you enjoy reading Neil Gaiman?
ames: Yes I did. There were some parts where I thought the story would be long and drawn out (because Tristan is going on a journey) but the story was never bogged down with the minute details.
nath: I really did enjoy the story. This was very different than what I'm used to read... The story was very straightforward and it wasn't dragged either.


Considering that you two both typically read primarily romance, did you enjoy the experience?
ames: Well, considering Tristan goes into Faery because of his love, I thought Stardust was a good blend of fantasy and romance.
nath: Personally, I think that Stardust was a romance :P Because if it wasn't for love, there wouldn't have been a story. But to answer the question, yes, I did enjoy the experience.


Would you recommend Gaiman to non-fantasy readers?
ames: Definitely. There is no major world-building and Stardust was quite humourous.
nath: I think I'll have to read a few more books by Mr. Gaiman, before making the recommendation. Not because the book wasn't good, but just to have a better sense of what's Mr. Gaiman's style.

Are you planning to read him again, or will this be your only attempt? Why or why not?
ames: I am going to read Gaiman again. I already have two books of his in my TBR pile.
nath: Yeah, I'm planning to read him again... either American Gods or Neverwhere. They sound intriguing.


Would you watch the movie?
ames: If Peter Jackson directed it, yes I would.
nath: hmmm, the movie is coming out soon and so, yes, I would go see it. I'm actually quite intrigued as how it will turn out. Unlike most fantasy books, I think this one would be quite easy to adapt to the big screen :D
ames: Nath has informed me that the movie, Stardust, is coming out soon and Peter Jackson didn't direct it. I was tempted to change my answer, but I had to investigate, and the trailer looks really good. Here is the Stardust movie website.

So, did anyone else achieve the Twisted Kingdom TBR challenge? What did you think of Stardust? You're welcome to share your thoughts with us! Also, if you want to read more about Stardust, you'll find Kailana and Mailyn's reviews in the following post.

First, a big announcement :D

We'd like to welcome our newest member to Twisted Kingdom v.2 , AMES!!! Ames has gracefully accepted to join our team and help us make this blog better!

So here are some words from Ames:

I would like to thank the lovely Twisted Kingdom vixens for inviting me to the blog! This is going to be fun. And I never group-blogged before, so it should be interesting as well. LOL I also have my own blog, Thrifty Reader, where I review mostly romance.

Science fiction is my first literary love (Robert A. Heinlein fangirl here), so hopefully I can expand someone's horizons. :P

Also, a few reminders.

1) Our second contest ends this Sunday, April 15. For those of you who don't know, we're holding a contest asking bloggers to send us guest reviews about paranormal/fantasy books. It doesn't have to be a new review, it could be one you've already written and posted on your own blog. The winner will be drawn and will win a book of his/her choice! If you want more details, go here.


2) Our first TBR challenge is almost up. This month's challenge was to read a novel by Neil Gaiman, more specifically Stardust. You still have a couple of days to do so (including me) and join the discussion on the week-end!

*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!*

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

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.