Juliet Marillier: BLACKTHORN & GRIM SERIES

Author:  Juliet Marillier
Series:  BLACKTHORN & GRIM
Plot Type: Fantasy
Ratings:  Violence—3-4; Sensuality—3-4; Humor—2 

Publisher:  Roc 

          Dreamer's Pool (11/2014)
          Tower of Thorns (11/2015)

          Den of Wolves (11/2016) (FINAL)

This ongoing post was revised and updated on 12/19/2016 to include a review of Den of Wolves, the third—and FINAL—novel in the series. That review appears first, followed by an overview of the world-building and reviews of the first two novels

                         NOVEL 3: Den of Wolves                         

PUBLISHER'S BLURB: 

Feather bright and feather fine, None shall harm this child of mine...
Healer Blackthorn knows all too well the rules of her bond to the fey: seek no vengeance, help any who ask, do only good. But after the recent ordeal she and her companion, Grim, have suffered, she knows she cannot let go of her quest to bring justice to the man who ruined her life.

Despite her personal struggles, Blackthorn agrees to help the princess of Dalriada in taking care of a troubled young girl who has recently been brought to court, while Grim is sent to the girl’s home at Wolf Glen to aid her wealthy father with a strange task—repairing a broken-down house deep in the woods. It doesn’t take Grim long to realize that everything in Wolf Glen is not as it seems—the place is full of perilous secrets and deadly lies.

Back at Winterfalls, the evil touch of Blackthorn’s sworn enemy reopens old wounds and fuels her long-simmering passion for justice. With danger on two fronts, Blackthorn and Grim are faced with a heartbreaking choice—to stand once again by each other’s side or to fight their battles alone.

MY REVIEW: 

     The bulk of the story sets Blackthorn and Grim the task of working at separate ends of a mystery while being physically separated in the process. At the core of this tale is Cara, the fifteen-year-old daughter of the wealthy  landowner, Tóla. In fact, the book begins with a description of Cara's situation, and we don't even look in on Blackthorn and Grim until the third chapter.

      Cara has an almost mystical attachment to nature, particularly to the birds and trees of her father's lands—the forests of Wolf Glen. She can often be found high up in a tree with birds sitting on her shoulders and in her hair. Secretly, Cara speaks to the trees and the birds, and they answer her: "I will protect you. I will guard you." Cara knows better than to let her father or her aunt in on her secret conversations. Both of them want her to be more "normal," to become more sociable, to make small talk, and to make herself ready for a marriage that will be arranged by her father. Unlike Tóla and Aunt Della, Cara believes that, "It was so much easier to talk to trees than people." She would rather sit by herself creating intricate carvings of birds from pieces of wood from the forest. Cara's only friends are her maid, Alba, and her father's forester, Gormán. 

     One day, while Cara is sitting up in her favorite tree, she looks down and sees a scary man standing below her perch. "He was wild-looking, filthy, with matted hair halfway down his back, a bristling beard and crazy eyes, and he was staring at the scattered remnants of the heartwood house." The heartwood house is also at the center of the plot. Fifteen years ago, Tóla hired a local builder to construct a heartwood house to bring luck to his family. The building of the house is based on an old, local folktale, and it must be built according to excruciatingly exact specifications, which the builder claims to know. Unfortunately, halfway through the project, the builder ran off one night and never returned. The heartwood house is now a ruin, falling apart and being overgrown by the forest. Cara is terrified when the man looks up and sees her, and she shouts out for her maid to bring Gormán to rescue her from the wild man. Immediately, Gormán whisks Cara away to the house, and the next morning, her father takes her to Prince Oran's castle at Winterfalls, where he drops her off and never returns—not even for a brief visit.

     Now, how do Blackthorn and Grim get involved with Tóla and Cara? Cara is extremely unhappy at Winterfalls and won't speak to anyone, so Lady Flidais asks Blackthorn to try to help her to settle in at the castle. Meanwhile, Grim gets a request from Tóla to come to Wolf Glen to rebuild the heartwood house under the direction of the wild man, who (Surprise!) is the original builder who has now returned from his run-away travels. His name is Bardán, and he has some deep, dark secrets.

     As usual, the chapters move back and forth between Cara's third-person perspective and the first-person voices of Blackthorn and Grim. Naturally, fey magic is involved in the plot, as well as human vindictiveness and cruelty. What is unusual about this book is that Blackthorn and Grim spend most of it far away from one another because Grim has to promise Tóla to work from dawn to dusk on the heartwood house until it is completed. He leaves every day before sunrise and returns—exhausted—to quickly eat supper and fall into bed. This is the first time the two have been apart for an extended period, and each misses the other terribly.

     Back at Winterfalls, Prince Oran receives news that Lord Mathuin of Laois—bitter enemy of Blackthorn and Grim—has invaded the territory of Lady Flidais' father, forcing her parents to take refuge in a neighboring kingdom. Suddenly, large numbers of strange, fierce warriors—called the Swan Island Men—begin to arrive at Winterfalls. The men's faces are heavily tattooed—each showing the distinctive features of an animal (e.g., dog, wolf, hawk). Blackthorn meets two of them after a mysterious scuffle in the woods near her cottage, and they tell her that they are at Winterfalls at the behest of Prince Oran. (Later, Blackthorn will learn more about that mysterious incident in Dreaming Woods and how it directly affects her.)

     So...back and forth we go, with Grim trying to figure out Bardán's story and Blackthorn trying to help Cara learn to speak up for herself. Each night before Grim falls asleep in exhaustion, he and Blackthorn exchange information about what they have learned. Soon, the reader can draw some conclusions as to the real story of what went on at Wolf Glen fifteen years ago, although it takes Grim and Blackthorn a bit longer. Remember, we have the luxury of seeing the whole picture, while Grim and Blackthorn have to put the puzzle together a piece at a time, each gathering clues from a separate source. 

     A side effect of the separation is that both Blackthorn and Grim learn the depth of their feelings for one another and finally get up enough nerve to communicate them—first in writing, then in spoken words...and FINALLY in actions. (Yea!)

     Near the end of the story, Blackthorn's will power is gravely tested. Back in book one, Conmael, the fey lord who rescued them from Lord Mathuin's prison, forced Blackthorn to agree to remain in the cottage by the Dreaming Woods and to help anyone who asks for her help. She is not allowed to seek revenge on Mathuin, even though he murdered her husband and child and threw her into his filthy prison. In the previous two books, Blackthorn had a very difficult time keeping that promise, and in this book, she has to make the hardest decision of her lifetime. 

     The themes of the book involve the importance of truth, the damage done by deceit and treachery, the satisfaction that comes from well-applied justice, and the dangers of blind vengeance. This series has always been about the importance of being governed by love, trust, and compassion rather than by rage, hatred, and bitterness, and that conflict is resolved once and for all as this series ends. One might quibble that the final conflict is resolved very quickly, but I think that's the whole point. Blackthorn has to learn the lesson that Conmael has been trying to teach her, and this is the best way to show that she finally does. My advice is to trust Marillier, because she knows exactly what she's doing here.

     This is most likely the final novel in this series, although Marillier doesn't explicitly state that in the book or on her web site. I have enjoyed all three of these novels because of Marillier's masterful story-telling skills, her creative world-building, her quirky characters, and her fantastic hero and heroine—both of them so courageous and good-hearted, yet flawed in such truly human ways. This is a terrific series that I recommend without reservation.

     Click HERE to read or listen to an excerpt from Den of Wolves on the novel's Amazon.com page by clicking on the cover art for print or the "Listen" icon for audio.

FULL DISCLOSURE: My review of Den of Wolves is based on an electronic advance reading copy (ARC) of the book that I received from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I received no promotional or monetary rewards, and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.  

                         WORLD-BUILDING                         

     The series is set in early medieval Ireland. This is a feudalistic society, with peasants and merchants living on farms and villages located on land belonging to kings, princes, and chieftains who hold town meetings to hear grievances and dole out fines and punishments as needed. Naturally, some members of the noble class are fair and just, while others are corrupt and cruel. Land disputes among the chieftains are common and frequently result in border wars. The author promises that each book will have fairy tale and mystery elements, and that is certainly true in book 1.

     The main characters are Blackthorn, a wise woman (magical healer) and Grim, a giant of a man who becomes her traveling companion after they both escape from imprisonment by one of the more evil chieftains. Both have dark and tragic pasts that cause PTSD-type flashbacks. Blackthorn's tragedies have left her a bitter and angry woman who yearns for revenge on the chieftain who destroyed her life. When Grim's memories of his past are triggered, he bursts into monstrous, uncontrollable red rages that can result in death or injury for the unlucky person who provoked Grim's fury. 

     Click HERE to read an on-line "Conversation with Juliet Marillier" in which she discusses the series.

                        NOVEL 1:  Dreamer's Pool                         

     Here is Marillier's explanation of the premise of this novel (from her website): "What if you were locked up awaiting execution and a stranger offered you a bargain that would set you free? What if accepting bound you to certain rules of behaviour for seven years, rules you knew you were likely to break within days? And what if the penalty for breaking them was to find yourself back where you started, eaten up with bitterness and waiting to die?" 

     Marillier tells her story in the first-person voice from three points of view: Blackthorn, Grim, and Prince Oran of Dalriada. The chapters alternate among the three voices.

     As the story begins, Blackthorn and Grim are behind bars in squalid cells within a filthy prison owned by Lord Mathuin, a sociopathic chieftain. Blackthorn has been there for nearly a year, beaten and abused almost daily, and she is barely hanging on to her sanity. The only thing keeping her going is that the law requires that a prisoner must be allowed to plead before the council before the end of a year of imprisonment. Blackthorn is counting the days until the midsummer council, where she will publicly denounce Mathuin and his dirty deeds. Then, days before the council meeting, a brutal prison guard tells her that Mathuin has ordered that she be executed the next day so that she will never get a chance to tell her side of the story. 

     That night, a fey lord named Conmael appears with a proposition: He promises that he will save her life if she agrees to leave Mathuin's territory and travel to Dalriada giving aid to anyone who asks for her help. If she agrees to remain in Dalriada as a healer for seven years, continuing to help anyone who asks for it, she will be totally free of any obligation to him. If, however, she uses dark magic or refuses to help someone, he will add another year to her sentence each time she does so. If she makes more than five of these mistakes in judgment, he will put her back into Mathuin's prison to face her certain death. Conmael promises to help her escape and to provide her with food and shelter.

     Throughout her imprisonment, Blackthorn (who has used two other names before this one) has had a frenemy relationship with Grim, a silent hulk of a man who spends his time muttering and murmuring to himself and staring at Blackthorn. When Conmael destroys the prison, Grim helps Blackthorn escape while he tries to save the other prisoners. He then tracks down Blackthorn, planning to watch over her and keep her safe. Obviously, he has strong feelings for Blackthorn. Although Blackthorn doesn't want his company, she realizes that his following her is a cry for help and that she must heed it so that she doesn't break Conmael's rules.

     The two head north to Dalriada, specifically to Winterfalls—Prince Oran's territory, where Grim fixes up the cottage and takes on heavy jobs for local farmers and merchants while Blackthorn heals wounds and illnesses among the locals. Soon, the two become involved in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a young girl just before they arrived in Winterfalls. Working together, they figure out what happened and serve as witnesses when Prince Oran holds a trial and metes out punishment. 

     Meanwhile, Prince Oran has agreed to marry Lady Flidais, a young noblewoman he has never met. He has, however, seen her portrait, and the two have exchanged letters and self-written poems. Based on her appearance and her words, Oran has convinced himself that Flidais is truly his soul mate. Unfortunately, when Flidais arrives at Winterfalls, she is nothing like the woman in her letters. That woman was kind and thoughtful and a lover of nature, just like Oran. The woman who comes to Oran's home is mean-spirited, petty, and passive aggressive, generating negative feelings and uneasiness in everyone she meets. What is Oran to do? He knows that he must marry Flidais because he has promised both his father and hers that he will. But Oran is certain that something is dreadfully wrong. When he sees how clever Blackthorn and Grim were in solving the case of the missing girl, he goes to them with his problem.

     The novel focuses primarily on Blackthorn and Grim and is essentially divided into three parts: two brief opening chapters describing Blackthorn and Grim's miserable prison existence and their escape; a longer section (the bulk of the book) that follows the pair as they walk to Winterfalls, settle down on in a cottage on the edge of an enchanted forest, and solve the case of the missing girl; and a short (too short?) final section in which they resolve Flidais and Oran's situation. Although what happened to the missing girl is magic-free and relatively easy to predict, the mystery of Lady Flidais is filled with magical twists and turns. Each time I thought I had it figured out, more details emerged, sending the investigation in another direction. Marillier is a terrific story teller who has a talent for weaving together fairy tales and mysteries and giving familiar folk tales a new twist. In this novel, the theme is transformation of several kinds, both real and magical. 

     Marillier's two main characters are exceptionally well drawn, each one having a distinctive voice. Refreshingly, they are not young, blushing, whiny naifs, but mature adults who have weathered some serious storms. We soon know Blackthorn and Grim so well that we empathize deeply with the tragic past events that still drive their emotions and keep them from developing friendships with anyone but each other. Blackthorn's history (which is finally provided towards the end of the book) has made her a voice for justice for women in this male-driven society. She is willing to stand up to chieftains and princes in defense of down-trodden and abused women no matter what the cost—and it costs her a lot. We don't learn the details of Grim's tragic past in this book, but it must be a doozy because he still lives with sweat-soaked night terrors and red rages that take him to the brink of insanity. 

     Oran, too, is a well-developed, if less dramatic, character—a strong, handsome, sensitive prince right out of a fairy tale, but riddled with doubts about his ability to rule and scared to death over the mystery of what is happening with Flidais.

      This is a strong beginning to a new series that will continue on with the two tragic lead characters solving more magical mysteries while dealing with ghosts from their pasts. In future books, Blackthorn must continue to rein in her desperate need for revenge against Mathuin and try not to break Conmael's rules. Grim has two impossible tasks: to keep his temper under control and to hide his deep feelings for Blackthorn. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens to them in the book 2. 

     Click HERE to read or listen to an excerpt from Dreamer's Pool on the novel's Amazon.com page by clicking on either the cover art or the "Listen" icon.

                         NOVEL 2: Tower of Thorns                         

PUBLISHER'S BLURB: 

     Award-winning author Juliet Marillier’s BLACKTHORN & GRIM series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall. 

     Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn’s bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim. 

     Lady Geiléis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada’s help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land—one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim.

     As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it’s apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle—a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides.

MY REVIEW: 

     Just as Blackthorn and Grim begin to relax in their cozy woodland cottage, their lives are disrupted by Prince Oran's request that they accompany his family to his father's castle for several months. King Ruairi must travel out of the kingdom, and he wants his son to rule temporarily in his place. Because the Prince's wife, Flidais, is expecting a baby, the royal family wants Blackthorn in attendance. And, of course, where Blackthorn goes, Grim follows.

     In the novel's prologue, we meet Lady Geiléis, chieftain of Bann. Marillier drops us into the middle of her unhappy life, giving us enough details to know that she and her kingdom are dealing with a serious magical problem and that she plans to use the King's absence for her own purposes. Marillier divides the chapters among three perspectives: Geiléis' third person voice and the first person voices of Blackthorn and Grim. 

     The novel has two story lines. First, there is Geiléis' problem. In a stone tower surrounded by a tall, thick hedge of poisonous thorns, a monster wails and rages during all of summer's daylight hours. His cries are so loud and so laden with violent emotion that they have all sorts of terrible effects on everyone who hears them. From the beginning, it is obvious that Geiléis is not telling the whole truth—not to the Prince, not to Grim, and not to the reader. She claims that the monster can be slain only by a willing woman, but that's not the whole story. In Geiléis' chapters, she tells the real story a few paragraphs at a time, whispering her words in a voice that only the monster can hear. So, the reader learns most of the truth as the plot advances, but not all of it. That doesn't come until the big showdown scene that resolves this story line at the end of the book. 

     Soon after Blackthorn and Grim arrive at the King's castle, one of Blackthorn's close childhood friends comes striding down the road. Flannan, a traveling scholar, is overjoyed to see Blackthorn because he thought that she died alongside her husband and child when their village was burned down 13 years ago by the evil Mathuin, chieftain of Laois (whom we met in the first novel). Soon, Flannan draws Blackthorn into a complicated plot to rise up against Mathuin and expose his sins to the other chieftains. If Blackthorn agrees to join Flannan's network of spies, she will have to leave Grim behind because she refuses to drag him into a situation that might (and probably will) end with her imprisonment or death. As Blackthorn works on Geiléis' monster problem, she constantly worries over what to do: join Flannan and get her long-overdue revenge against Mathuin or go back to the peaceful cottage with Grim and wait out her seven-year contract with Conmael in which she swore to forgo vengeance, do good works, and avoid dark magic.

     The two story lines play out separately, but by the end of the book, they merge. In the first novel, we saw Blackthorn and Grim as relative strangers who were thrown together in the tumult of their shared prison experiences and by their escape to Dalriada. In this novel, we see them begin to function as a team, figuring out the truth and the fiction of the legend of the monster in the tower. It is obvious that the two care very much for one another, so Blackthorn has great difficulty in making her decision as to whether to become a part of the scheme proposed by her good friend, Flannan. And Grim has trouble sharing Blackthorn with Flannan, whom he sees as an untrustworthy interloper. We also learn the gruesome details of the incident in Grim's past that caused him so much pain that he can never speak or think of it without going into a Berserker rage. 

     The deepening of Blackthorn and Grim's relationship is actually a third story line, as both continue to tiptoe around each other's secrets from the past and work together to survive this adventure. In fact, their friendship is at the heart of the entire series. At this point, what is Grim to Blackthorn? Early in this book she asks that question of herself: "If this were an old tale, what name would I give Grim? The bodyguard? The companion? The protector, the keeper? The friend? He was all of those and more." It is obvious to the reader—but not yet to Blackthorn or Grim—that their relationship is probably going to take a romantic turn, but that will have to wait until they can sort out the raging emotions related to their tragic pasts and learn to trust one another with their innermost fears. At one point, Grim muses, "We're cursed, her and me. Cursed to a life full of nasty surprises. Soon as you start thinking it's plain sailing ahead, the worst storm in the world blows up. Still, a man can hope. If not, what's the point of going on?" And it is this hope that sustains both of them: Grim's hope for a better life, and Blackthorn's hope for revenge against her bitter enemy, Mathuin. Until she can get that out of her system, there isn't room for any other emotion. Here's one thing to keep in mind: pay attention every time Grim sums up a situation (in his own mind, not necessarily in spoken words) and then mutters, "But what would I know?" Grim has to learn to speak up and let Blackthorn in on his very intelligent thoughts, and she has to be much more open with him—more intimate emotionally, if not physically. That's when they will truly become a team. 

     Although it's obvious from the beginning that something bad is going to happen to Grim if she goes after the monster in the tower, the actual details are impossible to predict (at least they were for me). It was easier to spot another villain, but that still didn't spoil the story because Marillier has constructed such a great plot and created such wonderful characters. Even though Geiléis does some underhanded things, your heart will break for her and for her monster. After reading the very first page, I couldn't put this book down. 

     Marillier includes a full list of characters at the beginning of the novel, so it's easy to jog your memory when several characters from the first book are mentioned in the narrative. I definitely recommend that you read Dreamer's Pool before you read Tower of Thorns. Click HERE to read or listen to an excerpt from Tower of Thorns on the novel's Amazon.com page by clicking on either the cover art or the "Listen" icon.

UPDATE! Juliet Marillier: BLACKTHORN & GRIM

UPDATE!

I have just updated an ongoing post for Juliet Marillier's BLACKTHORN AND GRIM SERIES with a review of Tower of Thorns, the second novel in the series.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the new review.

UPDATE! Juliet Marillier: BLACKTHORN & GRIM SERIES

UPDATE!

I have just updated an ongoing post for Julie Marillier's BLACKTHORN & GRIM SERIES by adding a review of Den of Wolves, the third—and FINAL—novel.

Click on the pink-link series title above to go directly to the new review.

Best Fantasy of 2014: Historical, Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic, Alternate Realm, Futuristic, Superhero, and Romantic

Listed below are the best adult fantasy novels (NOT YA) that I read and reviewed in 2014 in the sub-genres listed above. Within each sub-genre, the books are listed in random order. All but three are either stand-alone novels or first novels in new series. One entry includes all three books in the series—from first to final, all published in 2014.

NOTE: This post does NOT include my choices for the best urban fantasy (UF) of 2014. In order to maintain a manageable list, I decided to place my UF choices in a separate post. You may categorize some of the novels on this list as UF, depending on how you define UF, but I can only go by my own definitions, so we may have to agree to disagree on that topic. In any case, they are all top-notch novels. For my definitions of dystopian, historical, post-apocalyptic, steampunk, and urban fantasy fiction, click HERE to go to my DEFINITIONS page. Click HERE to go to the post that lists my choices for the best UF for 2014.

Click on the pink-link title/author line for any book to go directly to my full review of the novel and series, which always includes an overview of the world-building and a link to the author's web site.  

               HISTORICAL FANTASY               

Juliet Marillier: Dreamer’s Pool—first novel in BLACKTHORN & GRIM SERIES

The series is set in early medieval Ireland. Marillier's two main characters are exceptionally well drawn, each one having a distinctive voice. Refreshingly, they are not blushing, whiny naifs, but mature adults who have weathered some serious storms. We soon know Blackthorn and Grim so well that we empathize deeply with the tragic past events that still drive their emotions and keep them from developing friendships with anyone but each other. This is a strong beginning to a new series that will continue on with the two tragic lead characters solving more magical mysteries while dealing with ghosts from their pasts.

Carol Berg: Dust and Light—first novel in THE SANCTUARY DUET

The series is set in the medieval city of Palinur in the kingdom of Navronne, which is in the midst of a bloody war of succession between a pair of princely brothers: This is a terrific book with a well-constructed plot that masterfully combines a fascinating mythology, intense drama, well-defined characters, and touches of low, dark humor. In this book, Lucian (the series hero, a mage) comes into close contact with non-magical people for the very first time, and his perception of them—and their perceptions of him—make for some entertaining scenes. Although Lucian is heavily weighed down by bad luck and adversity in this novel, Berg always allows a ray of light to break through just when it seems that nothing will save him. She seamlessly weaves these moments into the complex and gripping plot, keeping the reader engrossed throughout.

Meljean Brook: The Kraken King—fourth novel in THE IRON SEAS SERIES

This is a terrific novel, one that kept me feverishly turning the pages well into the wee hours of the night. The author has created two fascinating lead characters with great depth. Zenobia has always been an interesting character in this series—a clever, witty woman who has made herself a fortune by turning her brother's adventures into novels that are read all over the world. On the downside, she is crippled emotionally by fear and distrust and longs for an adventurous life of her own, one in which she can walk down a street unmolested by kidnappers seeking huge ransom payments. Along with being a supernaturally strong macho-man with loads of simmering sensuality, Ariq (the hero) is completely committed to truth and justice in all aspects of his life. This is a complex world filled with inventive alternate historical events and fantastical biological constructs. It mixes steampunk with historical fantasy in such a masterful manner that the reader gets pulled into the mythology immediately and effortlessly. The characters are all true individuals, demonstrating various faults and idiosyncrasies, giving in to bad temper, making foolish choices, and trusting the wrong people. The great thing is that we relate to them because of their human frailties, and we root for them because of their good hearts. I highly recommend this steampunk/historical fantasy series, and I suggest that you read it in the order listed at the beginning of this post, which is the author's recommended reading order.  

            FUTURISTIC, DYSTOPIAN, AND POST-APOCALYPTIC FANTASY         

M. D. Waters: Archetype, “Antitype,” and Prototype—first, second, and third (FINAL) books in the ARCHETYPE SERIES (all published in 2014) 

This is a top-notch series with a fresh and inventive mythology, interesting characters who must overcome all sorts of emotional and physical hardships, and an overall series story arc that defies description. For me, this was a can't-put-it-down reading experience. I couldn't stop turning the pages because I couldn't stop trying to figure out what was really going on. Waters has succeeded in creating a fully developed female character who begins as a spineless, pliable void with no possessions, no family, and no memories. But then—right before our very eyes—she grows, gradually and arduously, into a decisive, courageous woman. Waters carefully constructs this dystopian world in a manner that makes it as believable as it is horrific. I am always searching for a series that is new, different, and well written, and this one meets all of those criteria. If you are looking for an engrossing read, pick up Archetype, "Antitype," and Prototype. NOTE: Be sure to read Archetype first. Reading order matters in this series.

M. R. Carey: The Girl with All the Gifts 

This is a zombie apocalypse novel that never uses the “z” word. If you think you've read every type of zombie novel possible, think again, because this novel is as thrilling and inventive as any I've read. Although the story does contain its share of violent and gory encounters, its primary focus is on the relationships among a small group of survivors. Carey tells a gripping and powerful story, showing us this world mostly through her young heroine's eyes as she deals with an overload of new information and experiences. This isn't a straightforward horror novel, although it has some horror-filled moments. It's a coming-of-age story in a horrific post-apocalyptic world. The old world is long gone, and it's time for Pandora to open a new box. I recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a fresh approach to undead fiction. Melanie, the heroine, is a terrific character, as are her companions.      

Emily St. John Mandel:  Station Eleven   

Instead of taking us through the early days of this post-apocalyptic world, Mandel drops us into that world twenty years after a flu pandemic ravaged the globe and then provides flashbacks to the pre-flu world—the good old days. The novel sweeps back and forth in time, portraying the main characters in various stages of their lives and connecting them in ways that are incredibly intricate and mostly unpredictable to the reader. These connections flow naturally as the story line weaves its way between past and present and moves toward a hopeful, but still unresolved, future. I highly recommend this novel for its inventive take on post-apocalyptic fantasy, its multi-layered characters, the smooth ebb and flow between past and present, and Mandel's eloquent use of language. This is a book that looks past the gore and the violence to the everyday lives of people who have coped with death and survived the worst. Although their futures are uncertain, they maintain their respect for the past and dare to hope for peace and calm in the coming years.

  

Richelle Mead:  The Immortal Crown—second novel in AGE OF X SERIES 

The series takes place 100 years into the future. Both the action plot and the romance plot are fast-paced, suspenseful, and dramatic. Particularly fascinating is the reaction of the fiercely independent RUNA women warriors to the treatment of the Arcadian women, especially when they find themselves being forced into submissive roles that include food preparation and floor scrubbing. I found myself much more absorbed in this book than I was in the first—mostly because in the first book I was slowed down by the process of learning the mythology. Luckily for readers, this book has the glossary that the first one lacked, so you can quickly flip to the back and refresh your memory when Mead uses unfamiliar world-building terminology. Although I realize that Mae and Justin have a long, difficult romantic road ahead, I plan to be with them every frustrating and fascinating step of the way. 

Greg van Eekhout: California Bones—first novel in CALIFORNIA BONES TRILOGY

The novel is set in an alternate Los Angeles, the capital of the Kingdom of Southern California, which seceded from the U.S.A. eighty years ago. This is a terrific novel, the first in what looks to be a top-notch series. Daniel (the hero) is a fascinating character: a highly intelligent wizard who accumulates more and more power as the story moves along. His childhood tragedy has pushed him into a strange life in which he has managed to tamp down his anger and push back his emotions while learning and applying the skills that allow him to survive. Daniel's friends have their own distinctive personalities that come out in their bickering dialogue and seamless teamwork. Eekhout adds noir humor to the story with brushstrokes of ironic fancy, and he uses cultural references in fresh and inventive ways. I highly recommend this engaging novel for its creative mythology, complicated hero, fast-paced plotting, and masterful use of irony and black humor.

Devon Monk: House Immortal—first novel in HOUSE IMMORTAL TRILOGY 

Two hundred years in the future, the world is ruled by eleven powerful Houses that have controlled all of the world's resources and authority for the past 100 years. Two hundred years ago, a scientist triggered a disastrous comet-related experiment that killed hundreds of people, leaving only twelve known survivors of the blast who are called the galvanized. The galvanized are extremely strong and immortal men and women who eventually had to give up their freedom in order to prevent the Houses from warring over who would possess them. This series has a fresh and inventive mythology and interesting lead characters. Tilly, the heroine, lives on an isolated, off-the-grid farm and doesn’t realize that she has some of the same powers that the galvanized have. When some of the Houses learn of her existence and come after her, a hero emerges to rescue her—if she can allow herself to trust him. Tilly bravely faces deceit, danger, and double-crosses as she tries to keep herself safe in the big city. Even the villains in this series are layered, complex characters. This is going to be a great series.

               ALTERNATE REALM FANTASY               

A. M. Dellamonica: Child of a Hidden Sea—first novel in HIDDEN SEA TALES

The series is set in Stormwrack, an alternate realm that is parallel to Earth. Dellamonica handles the world-building well because she makes her main character a smart and curious young woman and then almost immediately pops her into this strange new world—a world so different that Sophie spends a lot of time just asking questions. The author also does a great job with Sophie's first-person narration, always a plus, because writing in the first-person voice can sometimes be awkward. Sophie’s brother, Bram, has a dry sense of humor that livens up every scene in which he appears, always using his genius-level abilities to work out problems in a geeky kind of way and never losing his cool. Dellamonica has plenty of room for story development in this rich world.

Jane Lindskold: Artemis Awakening—first novel in ARTEMIS AWAKENING SERIES

I'm labeling this series as science fantasy because it combines the advanced technology of science fiction with the supernatural elements of fantasy. As Rod Serling described it, "Science fiction makes the implausible possible, while science fantasy makes the impossible plausible." Artemis is a pleasure planet created out of bare rock by a technologically advanced human empire that provided its richest citizens with a veritable Eden to play in. All tech was concealed and the animals (and the humans brought to live there) were bioengineered to help the guests enjoy their stay. After a global war in the distant human world, Artemis was cut off from its creators and became a fable told to children until young archaeologist Griffin Dane finds intriguing hints that send him on a quest to find the lost world. Stranded on Artemis after crashing his spaceship, he encounters the Huntress Adara and her psych-linked companion, the puma Sand Shadow. Their journey will lead Dane to discover the planet's secrets and perhaps provide a key to give unimagined power back to mankind. This is a terrific opening novel in which the author has done a brilliant job of weaving her complex and creative mythology into a well-constructed, fast-paced plot. She also does a great job with her character development. Even the supporting characters are well-defined and multi-dimensional. I'm not usually a big fan of either science fiction or pure fantasy, but this book really kept my interest from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it.

               SUPERHERO FANTASY               

Carrie Vaughn: Dreams of the Golden Age—second novel in THE GOLDEN AGE SERIES

Once again, Carrie Vaughn proves that she is a great storyteller. What a great idea to look in on the next generation of superheroes—checking out what the future will hold for Commerce City while also visiting with old friends from the previous generation. The humor comes right alongside the drama, particularly as the teens come up with their superhero disguises and nicknames and then keep forgetting to use them when they are in public places. Particularly entertaining is a new-guy superhero from out of town whose talent is to make huge leaps through the air. As he and Anna become friends, she teases him constantly with guesses at comedic nicknames he might get stuck with. This character's true identity is signaled early on, but we don't learn whether he is a good guy or a bad guy until the requisite final showdown.

               ROMANTIC FANTASY                

Lydia Netzer: How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky 

If you are a reader of paranormal romances, you know that the two lead characters are always soul mates—driven together for eternity by fated forces beyond their control. But what if two human mothers decided to take fate into their own hands and engineer their children’s soul-mated futures even before they were born? And what would be the consequences if that plan went awry? That’s the premise of this inventive and darkly humorous story that wrestles with the conflicts of fatalism and free will; faith and reason; dreams and reality. The dreamy cosmologist George Dermont mines the stars to prove the existence of God while Irene Sparks, an unsentimental scientist, creates black holes in her laboratory. The novel is set in an alternate Toledo, Ohio, in the present, with flashbacks to the 1980s. In this world, Toledo is an important scientific center, the location of the world-famous Toledo Institute of Astronomy, a beacon of scientific learning for astronomers all over the world. Toledo is also a major center of astrology. So…astronomy and astrology: black holes and crystal balls, scientists and psychics, super colliders and tea leaves, stars of the firmament and signs of the zodiac—all coexisting in absurd asymmetry. Netzer writes with a wonderful impressionism that gives depth and eloquence to her story. Although this book is a romantic fantasy, it is definitely not constructed according to the usual formula. Tragic events, zany antics, snarky dialogue, and singular characters all add absurdity and surrealism to what is essentially a fantastical love story. There are no stereotypes among these characters. Each is a deeply developed individual with kinks and quirks, and they combine to form the frame on which the plot is hung.