Heat Rises

Heat Rises
by Richard Castle

305 pages
Published September 20, 2011


Fast-paced and full of intrigue, Heat Rises pairs the tough and sexy NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat with hotshot reporter Jameson Rook in New York Times bestselling author Richard Castle's most thrilling mystery yet.
The bizarre murder of a parish priest at a New York bondage club opens Nikki Heat's most thrilling and dangerous case so far, pitting her against New York's most vicious drug lord, an arrogant CIA contractor, and a shadowy death squad out to gun her down. And that is just the tip of an iceberg that leads to a dark conspiracy reaching all the way to the highest level of the NYPD.
But when she gets too close to the truth, Nikki finds herself disgraced, stripped of her badge, and out on her own as a target for killers, with nobody she can trust. Except maybe the one man in her life who's not a cop: reporter Jameson Rook.
In the midst of New York's coldest winter in a hundred years, there's one thing Nikki is determined to prove: Heat Rises.

* * *

I admit it, I'm a huge fan of the TV show Castle (and Nathan Fillion in general). These books are a tie-in of that show, and are they fun. If you haven't seen the show, here's  little background: Richard Castle is an author who has connections. His friendship with New York City's mayor allows him to follow Detective Kate Beckett around, using her as his muse. His books about Detective Heat are seriously inspired by Beckett and the group she works with.

It's fun to see how the characters in these books are similar to, and how they differ from, their counterparts on TV.

This newest installment of the Nikki Heat stories has her vying for a promotion. Actually, she's the best candidate for the promotion. The storyline has Heat's captain acting strange, and (SPOILER****) dying, bringing back some of the emotional turmoil of last season's show (***END SPOILER).

4/5 stars

Friday Feature - "The Speed of Dark"

Friday Feature is where we share books we love that have been out for several years. We don't want these treasures to get lost just because they aren't babies anymore!

The Speed of Dark

by Elizabeth Moon

Published June 28, 2005

369 pages

Thoughtful, poignant, and unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the world of Lou Arrendale, an autistic man who is offered a chance to try an experimental "cure" for his condition. Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that may change the way he views the world—and the very essence of who he is.

                                                                             ***

This novel is considered science fiction because it deals with a "cure" that doesn't exist, but that's only the backdrop to a story that's very much about what makes me "me." How do we define ourselves? Are there things about ourselves that, if given the opportunity, we would "fix?" Do we think it needs fixing?

This story is told from the point of view of the functionaly autistic Lou. One might get worried about it being difficult to relate to because of that; but Moon is so masterful, you forget that it's in the voice of someone who sees things differently than most.

It's powerful, but not heavy! There's humor, and wit, goodness, and friendships. There's heavier thoughts as well, but it's perfectly balanced.

This is a fascinating read, but it isn't just cerebral - you truly care about the characters and their choices and the inevitable consequences.

Easily 5/5 stars!

A Side Note

In case you haven't heard, my next book, Cantrip, will be coming out November 22. (Cantrip is the second book in The Refuge Trilogy.)

If you are, or anyone you know is, a book blogger and would be interested in participating in the blog tour the week of November 28, please email me at becky@rebeccamckinnon.com

Thanks,
Becky

Shiewo: A Fantasy Flight to Adventure

Shiewo: A Fantasy Flight to Adventure (Shiewo's Odyssey, #1)
by Ciye Cho


Published June 6, 2011

This book was provided to us by the author, in exchange for an honest review.


The universe of Orberana is a place of great wonder and peril, a dizzying landscape filled with clouds that can talk, clockwork beings that mark their own time, and painted animals that awake in the night.

Shiewo Morose is the captain of a flying ship powered by music. She is also a determined young woman on a mission: a quest to find the Wishing Fish that created Orberana.

Sailing above the clouds, Shiewo and her crew (Erduu the bamboo, Theo the cloud, Livingston the goldfish, and Felix the painter) are headed for worlds of crazed clockwork bureaucrats, tyrannic kings, and tornado children--worlds that will test not only the crew's bravery... but their very understanding of adventure.

Theirs is the odyssey of a lifetime...

* * *

This is one of the most inventive books I've read in a long time. If you don't like using your imagination, don't read it. Or maybe I should say, do read it, and let it remind you how much fun make-believe can be!

The characters are fantastic: a talking cloud, a man made of bamboo, a bass-blasting goldfish, a painter, an engineer who built and captains a ship that is powered by music. They're quirky and fun, and so much themselves that I couldn't imagine them being any other way.


As wonderfully creative as the entire world and story were, I felt the pacing was somewhat off. There were a few parts where my attention wandered, and others where so much was happening. I'd like to shake it all up in a bag and even it out a bit. This is a subjective viewpoint, I'll admit: what's perfect for one person can't be perfect for the next.


Visit the Shiewo website (link on the author's name above) for some great bonuses, including music written by the author for the book!


4/5 stars

Dragonforge

Dragonforge
by James Maxey

Published June 24, 2008
544 pages

After the death of King Albekizan, Shandrazel and his allies struggle to keep the kingdom intact as the radical human prophet, Ragnar gathers forces to launch a full scale rebellion against the dragons. When all out war erupts, legendary dragon hunter, Bitterwood, must face his own personal daemons and choose where his loyalty really lies.

***

Still just as intricately done as "Bitterwood!" Characters make major changes or stay the same, but it always feels right. Maxey unerringly builds the story so when things happen that you didn't see coming, you feel like, maybe not that you should have known, but that there really wasn't any other way it was going to happen. The only downfall I can think of is for aspiring authors. He covers human behavior with such depth and breadth that he leaves nothing left out. And his imagination regarding this society and how it came about is insane!
Have you seriously not read the Dragon Age novels? Hi! Go get "Bitterwood" right NOW! These are NOT your typical dragon stories!

In order so far you have, Bitterwood, Dragonforge, and Dragonseed. 

Some winners!!!

So, thanks for those who entered a chance to win a free copy of Victoria Fielding's debut novel, A Piece of Time! Our 2 lucky winners are Kristan @ Lost Among the Shelves and Pat Parkin!!! Congratulations you two!
Everybody else, seriously go to Victoria's website (www.victoriafielding.com) and buy this novel. She has it in ebook form as well, so no wait!

Aroura

Teaser Tuesdays (7)

Teaser Tuesdays (7)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!(make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's mine:


"My mother deftly leaped from the SUV, and I followed her more slowly. There were three stickers on the back of the truck: GO ARMY, HANG UP AND DRIVE, and, inexplicably, I'D RATHER BE IN MINNESOTA."


p 140, Forever, Maggie Stiefvater


Leave a post with a link to your TT, or, if you don't have a blog, post your teaser right in the comments!