Fantasy Cafe: Reviews of fantasy and science fiction books

I need to go start cleaning and packing up for moving tomorrow, but first I decided to write this up for Sunday while getting caffeinated so I have energy to do all that (especially since I won't be able to put it up Sunday night due to lack of Internet). Next weekend I'm hoping to be able to make more progress on reviews because I'm afraid it's not going to be possible this weekend.

This week brought three review copies. I was terribly tempted to go pick up The King of Attolia, but since I'd already started reading Magic Burns by the time I was able to go to the store for it, I decided to wait. After that, I'm probably going to stick to some longer books in order to get caught up on reviews and The King of Attolia isn't all that long.

The Last Page by Anthony Huso

This is a debut novel. The author contacted me about reading it and when I heard it was dark fantasy tinged with steampunk, how could I resist? It's the one that sounds the most interesting to me from the books received this week, and I just love receiving personalized galleys signed by the author. I'm looking forward to this one. It will be released in hardcover on August 17.

The city of Isca is set like a dark jewel in the crown of the Duchy of Stonehold. In this sprawling landscape, the monsters one sees are nothing compared to what’s living in the city’s sewers.

Twenty-three-year-old Caliph Howl is Stonehold’s reluctant High King. Thrust onto the throne, Caliph has inherited Stonehold’s dirtiest court secrets. He also faces a brewing civil war that he is unprepared to fight. After months alone amid a swirl of gossip and political machinations, the sudden reappearance of his old lover, Sena, is a welcome bit of relief. But Sena has her own legacy to claim: she has been trained from birth by the Shradnae witchocracy—adept in espionage and the art of magical equations writ in blood—and she has been sent to spy on the High King.

Yet there are magics that demand a higher price than blood. Sena secretly plots to unlock the Cisrym Ta, an arcane text whose pages contain the power to destroy worlds. The key to opening the book lies in Caliph’s veins, forcing Sena to decide if her obsession for power is greater than her love for Caliph.

Meanwhile, a fleet of airships creeps ever closer to Isca. As the final battle in a devastating civil war looms and the last page of the Cisrym Ta waits to be read, Caliph and Sena must face the deadly consequences of their decisions. And the blood of these conflicts will stain this and other worlds forever.

The Ambassador's Mission by Trudi Canavan

This is the first book in the Traitor Spy trilogy, which is set in the same world as the Black Magician trilogy. It takes place a generation after the previous series. I've never read anything by Trudi Canavan, but it sounds like it could be interesting. This book will be available in hardcover on May 18.

Sonea, once the despised commoner in the Magicians’ Guild, is now a Black Magician of Kyralia. Though she is now part of the establishment, she comes to find that the past is not so easily left behind…

Lorkin, Sonea’s rebellious son, has volunteered to join the formidable Lord Dannyl in his new post as Guild Ambassador to Sachaka – a land ruled by cruel, slave-owning black magicians. There is suspicion that some of the Sachakans still harbor dreams of conquest, so when word comes that Lorkin has gone missing, Sonea is desperate to find him. However, Guild law states that if a Black Magician leaves the city he or she will be exiled forever.

As she fears for her missing son, Sonea dedicates herself to helping her old friend Cery. For some time, there has been fear and paranoia on the streets of Imardin. Leading thieves have been dying under irregular circumstances. The need to discover who has been picking off the leading thieves of the city is now a very personal crusade – one that Sonea must aid, for the killer appears to be using magic.

Either a member of the Guild is leading a double life as a hired killer, or there is – once again – a rogue magician on the streets of Imardin . . .

A Breath of Magic by Tracy Madison

This is the third book in the Magic series of paranormal romance, following A Taste of Magic and A Stroke of Magic. It just came out in mass market paperback on April 27.

Chloe Nichols is holding her breath. All her life, finding true happiness with a family has seemed as easy as...well, snagging a bubble off the wind—a bubble that her current boyfriend seems dead set on bursting. Yes, every time Chloe mentions her one true desire, Kyle shoots down her hopes. But he hasn’t reckoned with the awesome power of Gypsy magic, or with loyal kith and kin. One way or another, Chloe’s going to get her happily-ever-after. One could sometimes be found after you’d convinced a man he loves you, right? All Fate needs is a little puff in the right direction...