Bones of Faerie: Janni Lee Simmer

Bones of Faerie is a good book, possibly an excellent book, but I think that it might not be for everyone. It wasn’t for me, but I can see that it’s a great book.

When I read a book, it’s hard for me to not make a connection with some part of the book. I may identify with a character, a feeling, or an event. It doesn’t matter what the connection is about, just that there is an emotional connection. Because of this connection, and that I am 36 years old and have not existed in a vacuum, there are some subjects that I don’t enjoy reading about. Bones of Faerie touches on a couple of them… so while I can recognize that this is a good book, I can also say that it’s not the book for me.

I think that this is a perfect book for it’s intended young adult audience. If I was 13 and didn’t have the baggage that I have, I would have loved this book. The readers follow the characters through a journey of self discovery, acceptance, and loss.

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: January 09

Format: Print

Description (Author web site)

The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so fifteen-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Corn resists being harvested; dandelions have thorns. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Still Liza feels safe. Her father is strong and has protected their town by laying down strict rules. Among them: Any trace of magic must be destroyed, no matter where it is found.

Then Liza’s sister is born with faerie-pale hair, clear as glass, and Liza’s father leaves the baby on a hillside to die. When her mother disappears into the forest and Liza herself discovers she has the faerie ability to see –into the past, into the future–she has no choice but to flee. Liza’s quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.

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Emissaries from the Dead: Adam-Troy Castro

“Emissaries from the Dead” by Adam-Troy Castro is a first for me, I have not read any of his other work. After surfing Amazon, I agree with other reviewers that the world building is great and the mystery elements are done well.

There are some unique elements to the storyline that I would have liked to be flushed out more, the blended partners for one. That is a concept that I have never run across before, it would be nice to know more about that character’s back-story. There are several other interesting characters in the story that I would like to know more about, I hope that their stories come out in future novels.

As much as I appreciated the book, I really have to say that I didn’t care for the main character. The reader gets some of the history of the main character to explain why she is emotionally stunted, but it does not help me like her. When I read a novel, I find that I care about the characters and wonder what will happen next in the story line. If I don’t care about the character then I won’t want to invest the time in continuing the story line. I wanted to like this book, I thought the premise was good but I just could not connect with the heroine. Because of my ambivalence for the focal character, I really can’t work up any interest for the next book in this series. I wish I could because the author has a real talent for building worlds and going down roads less traveled.

Description

Two murders have occurred on One One One, an artificial ecosystem created by the universe’s dominant AIs to house several engineered species, including a violent, sentient race of sloth-like creatures. Under order from the Diplomatic Corps, Counselor Andrea Cort has come to this cylinder world where an indentured human community hangs suspended high above a poisoned, acid atmosphere. Her assignment is to choose a suitable homicide suspect from among those who have sold their futures to escape existences even worse than this one. And no matter where the trail leads her she must do nothing to implicate the hosts, who hold the power to obliterate humankind in an instant.

But Andrea Cort is not about to hold back in her hunt for a killer. For she has nothing to lose and harbors no love for her masters or fellow indentures. And she herself has felt the terrible exhilaration of taking life . . . .

Website

http://www.sff.net/people/adam-troy/index.html