August 24, 2017
Bookburners: Season Two (2016) Written by: Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Brian Francis Slattery, Andrea Phillips, Mur Lafferty, Amal El-Mohtar Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 734 (Kindle version; although I listened to the audio) Series: Bookburners Publisher: Serial Box Disclaimer: I received a copy of season two of Bookburners from the publisher Serial Box. This was not done with the understanding that I…
August 23, 2017
Confession time! I adore comic book movies. There’s something about the over-the-top storylines, the super powers, the suspension of belief, and the genuine enthusiasm that (usually) goes into making such projects. I am a novice comic *reader*, however. When I come across a novel that taps into those same elements that are found in the best superhero stories, I’m almost…
August 16, 2017
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) Written by: Susanna Clarke Genre: Historical Fantasy Pages: 866 (Kindle) Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK)/Tor (US) Why I Chose It: This book was my Resolution Project 2017 goal for Speculative Chic. Long story short: I picked up the gigantic hardback edition in 2005, and it’s been anchoring my To Be Read pile ever since. Finally bought the…
August 9, 2017
Labyrinth Lost (2016) Written by: Zoraida Córdova Genre: YA/Urban Fantasy Pages: 340 pages Series: Brooklyn Brujas, Book 1 Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Why I Chose This: I saw this cover while browsing my local bookstore and immediately fell in love. Magic, mayhem, a world of monsters and gods? I was sold straight away. The premise: The only way to get her family…
August 2, 2017
I love the idea of a Hugo Award for a series. It feels past due. For me, this award covers a slew of books that might otherwise fall through the cracks. As a matter of personal taste, I rarely vote for award for books that are past #1 in a series. It feels odd to reward a random book in…
August 1, 2017
This year’s Hugo ballot saw a brand new and somewhat experimental category: Best Series. Many were nominated, and the final tallies offered nominees from all corners of the science fiction and fantasy umbrella. One nominee in particular made my heart sing: the October Daye Books by Seanan McGuire. If you aren’t familiar with the series, this is how McGuire herself…
July 31, 2017
They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with author and military historian Jason Ridler, who’s having quite the…
July 19, 2017
On Monday’s My Favorite Things, we learned that Sound Off editor J.L. Gribble spends her time writing novels when she’s not watching movies to review them for Speculative Chic. Today, we’re happy to share the news of her book release! Steel Blood is the latest in the Steel Empires series, urban fantasy novels set in a very alternate history. When J.L.…
July 19, 2017
The Dragon’s Playlist (2017) Written by: Laura Bickle Genre: YA Fantasy Pages: 219 (Kindle) Publisher: Pronoun Why I Chose It: 100% truthfully? It was free. I’ve been enjoying Bickle’s Petra Dee books, but I wasn’t so sure about this one. Part of it is that after 30 plus years of fantasy reading, I have dragon fatigue. But in the end,…
March 23, 2017
Borderline (2016) Written by: Mishell Baker Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 400 (Hardcover) Publisher: Saga Press Why I Chose It: We’re reading the Nebula Awards here at Speculative Chic! Out of the nominees for best novel that I had not already read, Borderline is the one that intrigued me the most. The premise: A year ago, Millie lost her legs and her filmmaking…