Tea and Tomes

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents—on the expedition from which they never returned—leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance.

But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake's new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist—the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady—dead or alive.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) With Elspeth, the heir to the throne of Valdemar, come of marriageable age, Talia, the Queen's Own Herald returns to court to find Queen and heir beset by diplomatic intrigue as various forces vie for control of Elspeth's future.

But just as Talia is about to uncover the traitor behind all these intrigues, she is sent off on a mission to the neighboring kingdom, chosen by the Queen to investigate the worth of a marriage proposal from Prince Ancar.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with a pair of cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.

With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) Zoey needs a break after some serious excitement. Sadly, the House of Night school for vampyres doesn't feature breaks on its curriculum - even for a High Priestess in training and her gang. Plus juggling three guys is no stress reliever, especially when one is a sexy Warrior so into protecting Zoey that he's sensing her emotions. Wider stresses lurk too, and the dark force in Tulsa's tunnels is spreading. Could Stevie Rae be responsible for more than a group of misfit fledglings? And Aphrodite's visions warn Zoey to stay away from the immortal Kalona and his dark allure - but they also show that only Zoey can stop him. She's not exactly keen to meet up, but if Zoey doesn't go to Kalona he'll exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. She just has to find the courage to do what's necessary, or everything that's important to her will be destroyed.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's spellbinding fourth House of Night novel.

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Summary: (Taken from GoodReads) Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

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Summary: (Taken from Amazon.ca) Terrel's destiny is far from clear. In exile from his home, he journeys through a hostile world, with only the spirits from an earlier life and his instincts to guide him. Having crossed two oceans, Terrel finds himself in Misrah. A harsh and barren desert land, survival there is a daily struggle for its nomadic tribes. But Misrah is also a place of many wonders, where superstition is as important as the constant search for water. For Terrel, his magical talents may be all that can save him—and lead him one step closer to discovering the truth of the mysterious prophecies in the Tindaya Code.

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Back of the Book: Combining the best of fantasy traditions with her own unique vision, Sarah Ash brings to dazzling life a new saga filled with epic adventure and unforgettable characters--set in a world teeming with political intruige, astounding magic, and passion both dark and light.

Raised by his protective mother in the sunny clime of the south, Gavril Andar knows nothing of his father—-or the ominous legacy that awaits him. But now the man who ruled the wintry kingdom of Azhkendir, a man infused with the burning blood of the dragon-warrior known as Drakhaoul--has been murdered by his enemies.

Expected to avenge his father's death--and still his unquiet ghost-- Gavril soon learns that becoming Drakhaon means not only ascending to the throne of Azhkendir but slowly changing into a being of extraordinary power and might. A being that must be replenished with the blood of innocents in order to survive...

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Thanks to browsing a few other book review blogs these past few days, I've come across some great free pieces of writing. Occasionally I come across an offer for an entire free e-book, which is perfect since I'm still short on cash (no job yet, folks, so I'm still broke), and even though I still have many books on my backlog, I'm not opposed to adding a few more if I think they'll be worth reading.

(One such offer is a free copy of Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, which you can get in .pdf format by sending an email to I09Windup@nightshadebooks.com)

Most often the freebies come in the form of sample chapters for upcoming novels. Definitely a great thing to offer, but since until I get a job I won't be able to buy said new novel, I'm not going to tease myself by reading the sample chapters. I just know I'll get hooked on the story and then won't be able to buy the entire book, and it'll nag at the back of my mind. No need to torture myself, at least not that much.

But what I really enjoy are the free short stories. There's always time for a short story, I don't have to commit myself to torturous glimpses of books I can't afford, and it introduces me to authors I may not have heard of yet.

With that in mind, I'd like to plug two fantasy and sci-fi short stories I came across recently.

The Narcomancer, by N. K. Jemisin

Ghost Technology From the Sun, by Paul Jessup

Definitely worth a read.

Now I think I'll go curl up in bed and hope that reading will distract me from my nausea. There's nothing like being sick, that's for certain.