The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker (Strangely Beautiful, #2) by Leanna Renee Hieber

After the terrible battle in which the Guard was nearly defeated by the minions of the Darkness, Elijah, Josephine, Jane, Michael and Rebecca just want the chance to recover in peace and return to their everyday lives. And after nearly losing Percy, Alexi is desperate to marry her immediately and keep her safely by his side. But instead of the restful respite they all long for, the Guard receives word that the final battle against the underworld is about to commence, and it will be taking place at Athens Academy.

Strange doors are suddenly appearing in the school and the ghostly remains of Guard members from the past are showing up to provide their assistance. But each of the Guard members have more on their minds than just the upcoming war; unreciprocated love, jealousy, treachery and fear are some of the obstacles that they face as they prepare for a battle which may just be their last.

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker picks up almost immediately after the events of the last book, though we are brought up to speed by Beatrice, a member of a past Guard, who is now a ghost. Terrified at the thought of losing Percy, Alexi is frantic to marry her as soon as possible and the rest of the Guard are happy to help however they can, especially since they owe their lives to Percy’s timely intervention. But Beatrice’s warnings that Percy will be required to enter the underworld have Alexi’s protective shackles raised and he begins to live in fear that his wife will be repossessed by the the Darkness that had once claimed her. And while Percy is delighted to finally be married to the man she loves she feels uncertain about her new status within the Guard and the schoolboard, and still remains self-conscious about her unusual looks.

Meanwhile, Rebecca is torn by her feelings for Alexi, Jane is in love with a man she can’t possibly be with, Josephine and Elijah are frustrated by the societal restraints keeping them apart and Michael quietly pines for Rebecca in the background.

Readers who eagerly followed Alex and Percy’s tension-filled romance in Strangely Beautiful will be happy to see that two finally brought together, though I did feel that a little too much of the book was spent detailing their love for each other. While I enjoy Heiber’s poetic prose, the flowery declarations of love between the two of them got to be a little too much for me after a while. But once the honeymoon was over and the preparations for the battle began, I easily lost myself in the story. There were some interesting twists and I enjoyed getting to know the other members of the Guard better, though admittedly Alexi and Percy still remain my favorites. We are also once again treated to the atmospheric setting of a Victorian London populated by ghosts and we get to visit the underworld, as well, which is described in deliciously vivid and creative detail.

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker was a satisfying sequel, and conclusion, to Percy’s tale. Even with all of the ghost-busting and battles against Darkness this was overall a story of love and romance and one which I am sure will please the most discerning of romance readers.

Favorite Fictional Character: Shawn Spencer

Favorite Fictional Character

Hosted by Ryan at Wordsmithonia

In honor of the return to television of one of my favorite shows, Psych, this week's FFC will focus on the show's main character Shawn Spencer.

Shawn, played by James Roday, is such a fun and entertaining character to watch and is one of the main reasons that I tune into Psych each week.

Raised by a stern father, and dedicated cop, Shawn was taught to pay close attention to every detail of his surroundings and as a result he developed an acute sense of awareness, able to observe details that most people would never notice. As an adult Shawn uses this skill to help solve crimes for the local police station while claiming that it is his psychic powers allowing him to do so. While the police unit he works with are generally dubious of Shawn's claims, they continue to work with him because he does actually manages to assist them, no matter how much he annoys them along the way.

Shawn is often self-absorbed and irreverent, making jokes in the most inappropriate moments and driving his friends and family crazy with his irresponsible behavior. But somehow he also manages to be engaging and likable, and occasionally even charming. And then there are my favorite moments of the show when we are offered a deeper glimpse into Shawn's personality, past his jokes and carefree attitude to the love and loyalty he feels to his family and friends, and his willingness to do anything for them.

Shawn also plays off of his childhood-friend and business partner, Gus, who is really employed by a pharmaceutical company but keeps getting dragged along on each of Shawn's escapades. Each episode is sure to include one of Shawn's famously odd introductions of himself and Gus along with his creative online liners beginning, "Gus don't be a ..." which regulars of the show will often look out for.

If you are not familiar with this awesome show I highly recommend you give it a try. In addition to the show's wonderful characters and interesting storylines there is also a sense that the actors are really enjoying themselves. There are even certain jokes among the show's cast that have made their way into the show, such as the pineapple that appears somewhere in each episode and a song and dance routine often performed at the end of each show by various members of the cast.

Free Read & Audio: The Painted Darkness

Thanks to Dark Wolf's Fantasy I discovered that Cemetery Dance Publications is offering free downloads of both the electronic and audio version of The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman, which is set to be released in hardback this November.

When Henry was a child, something terrible happened in the woods behind his home, something so shocking he could only express his terror by drawing pictures of what he had witnessed. Eventually, Henry's mind blocked out the bad memories, but he continued to draw, often at night by the light of the moon.

Twenty years later, Henry makes his living by painting his disturbing works of art. He loves his wife and his son, and life couldn't be better... except there's something not quite right about the old stone farmhouse his family now calls home. There's something strange living in the cramped cellar, in the maze of pipes that feed the ancient steam boiler.

A winter storm is brewing, and soon Henry will learn the true nature of the monster waiting for him down in the darkness. He will battle this demon and, in the process, he may discover what really happened when he was a child — and why, in times of trouble, he thinks: I paint against the darkness.

But will Henry learn the truth in time to avoid the terrible fate awaiting him... or will the thing in the cellar get him and his family first?

If you enjoy dark and spooky books then this sounds like one you might want to try out.
Visit Downloadthedarkness.com to download the ebook or stream the audio book for free.

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

Today I have for you a guest review from Baruch Speiser who often reviews books for my website. For the Win looks like a really great book and I hope to get to read it myself one day soon, but in the meantime here's Baruch's opinion of Cory Doctorow's newest book...

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For the Win is another brilliant piece by Cory Doctorow. Like his previous work, Little Brother, Doctorow aims technology in the face of politics. This time around, he places the economy front and center, using the worlds of massive multiplayer online roleplaying games (thankfully abbreviated as MMORPGs) as a basis for understanding the economy.

The story follows the tale of factions of gamers who are being paid to pit against each other, until finally someone convinces them that they are all being exploited and should demand better treatment. Skeptical? Honestly, so was I – and I’m a true geek. For those of us in the safety of Western democracies, the importance of a virtual economy on real life is hard to swallow. Yet Doctorow does an elegant job of changing our perspective: for the poor citizens of Shenzhen, China; or Dharavi, India; the virtual economy can be more important than the real one.

The plot is complex and sprawling, and there are a large host of characters, but the story focuses around three groups – General Robotwallah in Dharavi, Los Angeles teenager Wei-Dong and his gamer friends in Shenzhen, and Big Sister Nor and her sidekicks in Singapore.

General Robotwallah (real name: Mala) is saved from poverty when a mysterious businessman realizes she has a talent for defeating foes in an online world called Zombie Mecha. He hires her and her friends to hunt after rival factions of professional game players. Soon, Mala is making enough money so that she and her mother can afford to live comfortably – which means finding a place with indoor plumbing. It’s too good to be true – until an associate of her employer begins to make inappropriate advances.

Wei-Dong (real name: Leonard Goldberg) plays online games because he finds it entertaining, and he joins up with a crew of professional Chinese players. Matthew, Lu, Ping, and others work for Boss Wing in Shenzhen, China. Boss Wing owns a “gold farm”: a factory where rich Americans decide that they don’t want to spend fifty hours of boring playtime getting all the fanciest online weapons and amassing a hoard of gold. No; these rich Americans decide that they’re not patient enough, so they outsource their game-playing to a bunch of Chinese until they’ve got a sufficiently strong virtual warrior. Matthew decides that he’s done working for Boss Wing, and he’s going to start his own game-playing business.

For thirty bucks, his clientele can get their game god, and Matthew can buy 561 bowls of pork dumplings. Not a bad deal for playing games – until Boss Wing sends two goons over to crush him, throw him back into the factory, and force him to play twenty-two hours straight. At the end of the day, Boss Wing takes all the real cash for himself, along with all the in-game treasures and gold that can be auctioned of on the open market. His workers get a place to sleep – all eighteen of them in a small room – and what to eat while they play, seven days a week, eighteen hours a day. If they don’t give him their gold and treasure, he shoots them. When they complain, the police shoot them.

When Big Sister Nor introduces herself to them through an MMORPG, she convinces General Robotwallah and Matthew from Boss Wing’s factory to unionize and demand better treatment. Within a short time, the gold farming factory bosses like Wing are sending thugs and gangs after Nor and her associates.

Sound ridiculous? Absurd? Even a little crazy? Maybe, but it’s all true. There are professional gamers in China, people who are forced to play World of Warcraft or EverQuest all day and night because someone else is willing to pay for that service. Doctorow builds on this idea, building a convincing picture of the actual world: virtual economies are real.

At any given moment, thousands of virtual items can be bought on Ebay, from virtual dolls to virtual trading cards. Even the Supreme Court of Korea has weighed in on the relationship between real and virtual currency. Doctorow does an excellent job here, guiding the reader through the messy complexities of modern gaming and the equally muddy waters of modern finance. Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt (the authors of Freakonomics) would be very proud.

For The Win is an extremely compelling work. I couldn’t put it down. The characters are deep, the action is surprisingly real, and the gamerese doesn’t bog down the story. While the individual subplots are less cohesive, the overall story is well-crafted and quickly paced. Stylish, sassy, provocative, and intense, For The Win does indeed win.

Free ebook: The Choir Boats by Daniel A. Rabuzzi

In honor of their site relaunch, WOWIO, in partnership with ChiZine Publications, is offering free download of The Choir Boats by Daniel A. Rabuzzi, throughout the month of July.

What would you give to make good on the sins of your past? For merchant Barnabas McDoon, the answer is: everything.

When emissaries from a world called Yount offer Barnabas a chance to redeem himself, he accepts their price-to voyage to Yount with the key that only he can use to unlock the door to their prison. But bleak forces seek to stop him: Yount's jailer, a once-human wizard who craves his own salvation, kidnaps Barnabas's nephew. A fallen angel-a monstrous owl with eyes of fire-will unleash Hell if Yount is freed. And, meanwhile, Barnabas' niece, Sally, and a mysterious pauper named Maggie seek with dream-songs to wake the sleeping goddess who may be the only hope for Yount and Earth alike.

Sound good? Then follow this link to download The Choir Boats for yourself.

New Scifi and Fantasy Releases: Week of July 18

It's another slow week for new releases but there are actually a number of books here that interest me. While I'm usually not much of an anthology reader, Lou Ander's compilation, Masked, and P. N Elrod's Dark and Stormy Knight both look pretty good to me. And while I haven't read Kage Baker's The Anvil of the World, her new release The Bird of the River makes me want to give this series a try.

How about you? Anything here that you will be adding to your reading list?

Hope you have a great reading week!

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Black Magic
Cherry Adair
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket Star
Release Date: July 20

SHE HATES USING MAGIC . . .

Ever since the death of her parents, Sara Temple has rejected her magical gifts. Then, in a moment of extreme danger, she unknowingly sends out a telepathic cry for help—to the one man she is convinced she never wants to see again.

HE’S A POWERFUL WIZARD . . .

Jackson Slater thought he was done forever with his ex-fiancée, but when he hears her desperate plea, he teleports halfway around the world to aid her in a situation where magic has gone suddenly, brutally wrong.

THEY’VE BEEN CHOSEN TO SAVE THE WORLD . . .

But while Sara and Jack remain convinced they are completely mismatched, the Wizard Council feels otherwise. A dark force is killing some of the world’s most influential wizards, and the ex-lovers have just proved their abilities are mysteriously amplified when they work together. But with the fate of the world at stake, will the violent emotions still simmering between them drive them farther apart . . . or bring them back into each other’s arms?


Masked
Lou Anders
Genre: Fantasy and scifi Anthology
Publisher: Gallery
Release Date: July 20

Superheroes have come a long way since the “Man of Steel” was introduced in 1938. This brilliant new collection features original stories and novellas from some of today’s most exciting voices in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Each marvelously inventive tale shows us just how far our classic crusaders have evolved—and how the greatest of heroes are, much like ourselves, all too human.

In “Call Her Savage,” MARJORIE M. LIU enters the dark heart of a fierce mythic heroine who is forced, by war, to live up to her own terrible legend.

In “A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too),” BILL WILLINGHAM presents a fully-realized vision of a universe where epic feats and tragic flaws have transformed the human race.

In “Vacuum Lad,” STEPHEN BAXTER unveils the secret origins of the first true child of the space age—and disproves the theory that “nothing exists in a vacuum.”

In “Head Cases,” PETER DAVID and KATHLEEN DAVID blast through the blogosphere to expose the secret longings of a Lonely Superhero Wife.

In “The Non-Event,” MIKE CAREY removes the gag order on a super-thief named Lockjaw . . . and pries out a confession of life-altering events.

Also includes stories by Mike Baron • Mark Chadbourn • Paul Cornell • Daryl Gregory • Joseph Mallozzi • James Maxey • Ian McDonald • Chris Roberson • Gail Simone • Matthew Sturges . . . and an introduction by Lou Anders, “one of the brightest and best of the new generation of science fiction editors” (Jonathan Strahan, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year).

The Bird of the River
Kage Baker
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: July 20

In this new story set in the world of The Anvil of the World and The House of the Stag, two teenagers join the crew of a huge river barge after their addict mother is drowned. The girl and her half-breed younger brother try to make the barge their new home.

As the great boat proceeds up the long river, we see a panorama of cities and cultures, and begin to perceive patterns in the pirate attacks that happen so frequently in the river cities. Eliss, the girl, becomes a sharp-eyed spotter of obstacles in the river for the barge, and more than that, one who perceives deeply. A young boy her age, Krelan, trained as a professional assassin, has come aboard, seeking the head of a dead nobleman, so that there might be a proper burial. But the head proves as elusive as the real explanation behind the looting of cities, so he needs Eliss’s help. And then there is the massive Captain of the barge, who can perform supernatural tricks, but prefers to stay in his cabin and drink.


Dark and Stormy Knights
P. N Elrod
Genre: Urban Fantasy Anthology
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: July 20

It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest…. They’re the ultimate defenders of humanity—modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons.

In this all-star collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem. John Marcone sets aside his plans to kill Harry Dresden to go head-to-head with a cantrev lord in Jim Butcher’s Even Hand. Kate Daniels is called upon for bodyguard duty to protect Saimen, a shifter she trusts less than the enemy in Ilona Andrews’ A Questionable Client. Cormac must stop a killer werewolf before it attacks again on the next full moon in Carrie Vaughn’s God’s Creatures. And in Vicki Pettersson’s Shifting Star, Skamar gets more than she bargained for when she goes after a creature kidnapping young girls—and enlists the aid of her frustratingly sexy neighbor.

When everything’s on the line, will these knights complete their missions and live to fight again another day? Find out in Dark and Stormy Knights! Includes stories from: Ilona Andrews Jim Butcher Shannon K. Butcher Rachel Caine P.N. Elrod Deidre Knight Vicki Pettersson Lilith Saintcrow Carrie Vaughn

All That Lives Must Die (Mortal Coils, Bk 2)
Eric Nylund
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: July 20

Eliot and Fiona Post are twins caught up in an epic custody battle between their mother's and father's families. Their mother is the immortal goddess Atropos, the eldest Fate, and their father is Lucifer, Lord of the infernals, a diabolical fallen angel. The families have put them through rigorous, life-threatening challenges, and together they've risen to combat them in amazing ways. But now they are facing the greatest trial of all—high school. Paxington Unviersity is no normal high school—it's a place where gods and goddesses, warriors and socerers learn to harness their power, where a debate in class can end in a duel, and your classmates aren't simply friends or enemies, but allies in battle or threats to your life. To flunk is to die--only the toughest graduate. As Fiona and Eliot struggle to keep up their grades by surviving the rigorous training, both families are watching. High school is bad enough, but imagine being caught in the midst of an immortal/infernal war...

Dead Space: Martyr
B. K. Evenson
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: July 20

We have seen the future. A universe cursed with life after death. It all started deep beneath the Yucatan peninsula, where an archaeological discovery took us into a new age, bringing us face-to-face with our origins and destiny. Michael Altman had a theory no one would hear. It cursed our world for centuries to come. This, at last, is his story.


Imager’s Intrigue (Imager Portfolio, Bk 3)
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: July 20

In Imager, the first book of the Imager Portfolio, we met Rhennthyl, an apprentice portrait artist whose life was changed by a disastrous fire. But the blaze that took his master’s life and destroyed his livelihood revealed a secret power previously dormant in Rhenn; the power of imaging, the ability to shape matter using thought. With some trouble, he adapts to the controlled life of an imager. By Imager’s Challenge, Rhenn has become a liaison to the local law forces. He finds himself in direct conflict with both authorities and national politics as he tries to uphold the law and do his best by the people of his home city. Now, in Imager’s Intrigue, Rhenn has come into his own. He has a wife and a young child, and a solid career as an imager. But he has made more than one enemy during his journey from apprentice painter to master imager, and even his great powers won’t allow him to escape his past.


The Poison Diaries
Maryrose Wood
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: July 20 (Hardback edition)

In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . . Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure -- or kill. When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . .

Random thoughts on Secret Doors

While scrolling through my Google Reader I came across a mention by The Bodacioud Pen of a secret library built by Holly Black , which immediately intrigued me. So of course I had to find out more and I followed a link to the blog The Steampunk Home which had a post about a library built by Holly Black that she hid behind a secret door, concealed as a book case.


At first I thought "how awesome!" What would be cooler then having a secret room? But that thought was quickly followed by my wondering, why would someone want to hide a library. While I love the idea of secret passages in a house or maybe a hidden laboratory filled with top-secret gadgets, a secret room sounds rather Anne Frank too me. And if I had a library as amazing at Holly Black's I certainly wouldn't want to hide it.


But the idea of concealed rooms did fire my imagination so I followed the link to hiddendoors.com where they have pictures of all the different concealing doors that they have available.


Now I really want want one but I can't think of what I would actually hide behind it. In the TV show Webster there was a grandfather clock that hid a secret passage, and I would totally go for something like that. It could be great for sneaking out of the house without my kids noticing...

This line of thought brought me to the website of another company, Creative Home Engineering, that builds some of the coolest secret doors and passageways. They even build staircases that lift up at the touch of a button, revealing another room behind it.

I also found this really interesting video that shows how the people at Creative Home Engineering build these concealing doors and includes a demonstration of how some of their products work, including a fireplace which opens up by placing the pieces on a nearby chess board in particular positions. Very Indiana Jones and very cool. There is even a bookcase that opens with the help of a Harry Potter Book.

So what do you think? Would you want a secret door or passageway in your house and if so, what would you want to hide behind it?