The circus is open only at night. It arrives without warning and is gone again just as quickly. It is a circus of dreams, of fantasies beyond imagining. To its spellbound visitors, the Night Circus seems magical. This is because it is. Literally.
The Hollow City, by Dan Wells
July 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Wells has masterfully engrossed us in the mind of a diseased man, forcing us (and Michael) to constantly ask what is real and what is not, all while putting a human face on schizophrenia.
REVIEW: City of the Lost, by Stephen Blackmoore
June 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
City of the Lost tears right along, leaving little time to catch your breath…but just enough that you don’t cast the book aside in a fit of action-sequence-fatigue.
REVIEW: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
March 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Daughter of Smoke and Bone tells the story of Karou, a girl with a mysterious past who lives among hideous monsters who — on the inside — are anything but.
REVIEW: Exogene by T.C. McCarthy
March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
That first novel, Germline (review) ranked as one of my favorites of 2011 – a dark and powerful story of war and what it can do to men. McCarthy has proven that he hasn’t broken stride with the sequel, Exogene.
REVIEW: The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
February 28, 2012 by 1 Comment
Tired of fantasy novels that all strike the same culture notes, revolve around a chosen one and his quest, and stretch laboriously across book after book? If so, I recommend you check out Amanda Downum’s The Drowning City.
REVIEW: I, Demon by Samuel T. Crown
February 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I, Demon chronicles the life and (rather tumultuous) times of a nameless demon exiled by both heaven and hell. It is recounted in the first person by the demon himself after he is summoned (via a computer program) into a 21st century basement by a perky blonde with a mysterious agenda.
REVIEW: The Rook by Daniel O’Malley
January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’m honestly surprised that this is Daniel O’Malley’s debut novel. He’s got a strong voice and ability to make characters come alive. And that’s good since the ending leaves open the possibility of further adventures with Myfanwy Thomas.
REVIEW: The Magicians by Lev Grossman
November 17, 2011 by 3 Comments
One could summarize The Magicians as follows: it is a coming of age novel in which a boy discovers the magical lands he read about and longed for as a child are real. This assessment would certainly be true, but it would also do a grave injustice to this complex and compelling novel.
REVIEW: all these things i’ve done by Gabrielle Zevin
October 21, 2011 by 2 Comments
Set in a dystopian New York City, ALL THESE THINGS I’VE DONE tells the story of Anya Balanchine, the 16 year old daughter of the city’s most famous, deceased mob boss. In this future world, though, it isn’t booze or drugs that Anya’s Family runs, but another now-illegal commodity: chocolate.
