The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott

****

The Swan Kingdom by Zoë Marriott

Once Upon a Time... there was a kingdom that flourished. The king was strong but shallow, the queen wise but afraid and they had four children the last of which was an ugly duckling and her name was Alexandra.

Swan Kingdom seems to be a sort of amalgam of several different fairy tales although from the author's notes it is adapted from Hans Christian Anderson's 'Wild Swans'. In this retelling, young Alexandra is a "cunning woman" - one that can manipulate the energies (enaid) of the earth to help things grow and heal. Her mother, the Queen has the same power but learned how to use it to a fuller extent. Alexandra grows up feeling rather unnecessary in her father's household even with the love of her brothers and mother.

When her mother dies by unnatural means, Alexandra seems to lose her very place in the world. Her father searches for her mother's killer but comes back with a woman who can influence all those around her. Only Alexandra and her brothers see through her spells. After a failed attempt to rid their kingdom of the usurper, Alexandra and her brothers are cast out of the kingdom. Alexandra to live with her aunt in Midland and the brothers as swans and caught between worlds.

Once away Alexandra grows stronger and grows up. She learns to stand on her own two feet and do what is right and necessary instead of just standing back and letting others make decisions for her.

I was very much relieved when she finally learned this lesson. The prose picked up quite a bit for me after that.

All in all a very good fairy tale - very much like the books by Robin McKinley, Cameron Dokey or Donna Jo Napoli. The only improvement I can think of would be to have gotten to the 'make your own way' part faster. She was a much more enjoyable character after that.

The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 1) by Jenna Black

**

The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist, Book 1) by Jenna Black

This book was easy enough to read but not terribly well-written or plotted out. Even the idea was mediocre and done.

Basically Morgan is an exorcist with a huge chip on her shoulder about demons and those who choose to host demons. As an exorcist Morgan is able to expel illegal demons - demons who choose a human that is unwilling to have him/her. Morgan's brother Andrew willingly chose to let a demon ride him and Morgan has never really forgiven him for it.

In what should have been a routine exorcism Morgan is touched by a demon who should have been able to transfer himself to her body but it didn't. This causes Morgan some doubt and confusion especially after she finds notes she has written to herself when she'd been asleep to the effect of 'It can't possess you because you already have a demon' and 'Hi! My name is Lugh and by the way you can't trust your best friend because she wants to kill both you and me.'

If that were the basis of the whole plot that would probably be fine. But the author adds on these other little unnecessary messy details like some fairly graphic male-on-male S&M sexcapades. It's probably a turn-on for some but wasn't really what I was looking for in an urban fantasy book.

On the whole the book was a disappointment.

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, 3) by Patricia Briggs

*****

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, 3) by Patricia Briggs

Once again Mercy gets tangled up in trouble. The action starts when she agrees to help Zee and Uncle Mike sniff out the murderer on the Fairyland reservation to end a debt she owes the fey for helping her end the vampire demon from the last book.

Mercy determines that the murderer must be a human man named O'Donnell who works as a security guard at the Fairyland Reservation. This is puzzling news to Zee and Uncle Mike since no human should be able to kill the fey like O'Donnell managed to. Uncle Mike and Zee go to talk to O'Donnell but when they get there their suspect is already dead and the human police have just arrived and take Zee into custody.

Since Zee is a personal friend and Mercy knows that while her old gremlin friend is capable of murder that he did not kill O'Donnell. Mercy hires the best lawyer she can find and starts digging for evidence herself.

As usual the plot is complicated and Mercy gets in way over her head. The werewolves and her fey friends help out a lot but there is no mention of the vampires in this particular book. Once again the tension between Adam and Sam is present but in this book it comes to a head and Mercy has to make a choice.

I particularly appreciated the last few pages of the book where the author takes some time to ponder feelings of guilt that sexual abuse victims may carry. I was almost ridiculously pleased with the revelation about Ben (the snarky, usually snarly werewolf that was abused as a child and stood up to protect Mercy). I knew there was a reason that I liked him/didn't hate him as we were obviously supposed to. That part was also particularly heart-wrenching and added a whole new human emotional depth to the story that doesn't usually find it's way into urban fantasy novels.

I think this was my favorite of the three so far and now consider myself to be well and truly hooked on Patricia Briggs.

The Shiksa Syndrome by Laurie Graff

**

The Shiksa Syndrome by Laurie Graff

The novel started out with an entertaining enough idea but I had a hard time believing anyone could be so desperate and deceiving.

It's one thing to model yourself after a certain desirable typeset to attract attention as long as it doesn't change the core of who you are.

Aimee is a publicist and Jewish in New York and is ready to settle down and have kids and let her biological clock have it's way. She wants to find someone that is Jewish too so that the kids will be raised in the faith etc etc. The only way she thinks she'll find someone to help her with those goals are to pretend to be a Gentile and deny every aspect of herself. She does of course find someone and even though he's Jewish he doesn't seem to like Judaism very much.

I had a hard time getting through the book. The lies and mass amounts of deceit were difficult to take even if Aimee did get the boyfriend she was setting out to get. I'm not sure the guy was worth the stress. Yikes.

Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2) by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, Book 2) by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville is the host of her one-of-a-kind radio show, "The Midnight Hour" where she and her listeners discuss all things paranormal: werewolves, vampires etc. Since Kitty also happens to be a werewolf she is seen as kind of a celebrity expert in the field.

So when the Senate decides to hold a hearing about the necessity and validity of the Center for the study of the Paranatural Kitty gets called to the stand and she brings her trusty lawyer Ben.

Kitty is in a bit of a bind though trying to exercise her newfound freedom from the pack while staying out of trouble. Once in DC she is practically kidnapped and taken to the vampire Mistress' home where she will be 'safe.' Alette seems to be truly good but she is still a vampire. Kitty also gets to meet more 'weres' in DC and not just of the wolf variety. She meets a hot were-leopard and a bunch of new friends that hang out in relative peace without any of the pack posturing.

Once the Senate hearing is underway there are a whole host of witnesses other than Kitty including the Reverend Elijah Smith who is serious bad news for any in the paranormal community.

Kitty gets kidnapped again but on the night of the full moon by a series of individuals that want to prove their points about the paranormal.

Oh, and also there's a plot to overthrow Alette.

Basically there's a lot going on in this book. The action is very fast-paced and the book probably would have been better if the author had settled on one plot direction instead of several but you get a really good idea of how hectic Kitty's life has become.

Like many other urban fantasy books Kitty is the unwitting (and usually unwilling) heroine. Trouble just seems to dog her footsteps. :)

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs

Book Two of the Mercy Thompson series picks up pretty quickly after the first book and starts right in on the action.

Mercy is an auto mechanic and a walker that can turn into a coyote but raised by werewolves and trained by a fae. To add to that Mercy is actually friends with Stefan, one of the local vampires. When Stefan asks Mercy to accompany him to confront a new vampire in town things start to get really prickly.

The new vampire is also 'demon-ridden' and a sorcerer. The demon-vamp causes all sorts of discord just by his presence and can affect the minds of other vampires. Only Mercy really has a prayer of stopping him and she is not exactly the kind of chick that goes looking for that kind of action. But with the werewolves and the vampires nearly incapacitated Mercy steps up the plate with a little help from the fae.

Mercy is a terrific heroine because she is not a know-it-all, kick-@ss, overly sexual character. She is portrayed as very human and seems to only manage to get herself out of situations through luck, bravado and sheer perspicacity. This unperfection makes her very endearing and Mercy continues to grow as a character.

Beg for Mercy by Toni Andrews

Beg for Mercy by Toni Andrews

Since she was a teenager Mercy Hollings has struggled with what she is - with her inherent talent to press people into doing her will. Orphaned and shuffled through the foster care system, Mercy is something of a loner - or at least she thought she was a loner. This book starts with the one person Mercy could call a friend: Sukey.

Sukey has this thing for big muscles and small brains - which basically defines Rocko the drug-selling goon she meets up with in a bar. When Sukey ends up in the hospital from a Rocko-induced heroin overdose Mercy gets very angry and presses Rocko to get out of town and flush all the heroin down the toilet. This would have been fantastic except for the fact that it wasn't Rocko's heroin and the owner happens to be able to press people in the same way Mercy does. He gives Mercy three days to find his heroin (even though Mercy knows exactly where it is - the sewage plant) or he'll start hurting her friends. This wouldn't be so bad for Mercy the loner except that she suddenly has friends popping out of the woodwork.

Mercy is a great heroine because she is constantly struggling with the moral quandry of her talent. What is acceptable to do? In her hypnotherapy practice is it all right to give more than gentle suggestions about improving people's lives? What is the extent that she can use her gifts and still be able to live with herself? There is no black and white morality here and even though Mercy continues to use her gifts (with greater frequency) to gather information and keep her friends safe the moral problems of it weigh her down. And through it all she keeps the secret of what she is able to do from most of her friends.

I was able to get this read it one night and pretty much found the action fascinating. I can't wait to see what Mercy gets up to in the second book.

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli

I liked this fairy tale by Ms. Napoli fairly well but I didn't think it was my favorite of hers. Sirena is one of fifty mermaids born of the eggs of a rainbow fish, fathered by the Greek god Eros. To avoid a curse and attain immortality each mermaid must seduce a mortal man to lie with her. However, living near a rocky shoal near an inhospitable island does not bode well for the sailors that Sirena's pod tries to call to their arms.

Set during the onset of the Trojan War the mermaids take advantage of the thousand ships worth of sailors to lure a few in but after seeing that most of the men drown and then watching the angry survivors beat one of her sisters to death, Sirena decides that the seducing beauty of her voice is not the way to attain her immortality.

Sirena lives alone for a time around the deserted island of Lemnos when a ship full of Greeks stops by her shores to deposit a man, effectively abandoning him to her care. The man is Philoctetes - friend to Heracles and therefore disliked by Hera. A sea serpent bit his leg and his fellow sailors left him to die. Sirena saves his life.

This book is good in that Sirena, despite being immortal is not perfect. She loves Philoctetes but doubts his love for her~ thinking that he was only staying with her because of the charm of her voice. However, once she realizes that he does love her too it is because he is going away to end the Trojan War and won't be back. And then the story abruptly ends. Revelation achieved. Story finished. No tidying up.

The action was somewhat stilted too. When Sirena gets into dangerous or harmful situations the descriptions of what are actually going on are sketchy but gets summed up in about a sentence.