The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Title: The Goblin Emperor
Author: Katherine Addison
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Standalone

Hardcover, 446 pages

Publication: April 1, 2014 by Tor Books

Source: I received a review copy from the publicist in exchange for a honest review.

Buy|Amazon|Book Depo|

The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend... and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne – or his life.

I’m a big fan of steampunk and fantasy, so, The Goblin Emperor which is the blend of both genres was right up my alley. Maia our protagonist and his mother has always lived far from the city as long as he can remember; his dad the emperor didn’t want anything to do with his half-goblin son. Maia is pretty content with the life he has but everything changes with the death of his father. Maia not only has to return home for the funeral but it turns out he is the heir to the throne. Maia’s simple life has just gotten interesting as he ascends the throne as the rightful ruler, and readers follow along Maia has he navigates the court life and its politics. 

Right from the start I knew I was going to like Maia, he is exactly what people look for in a Ruler-Emperor; someone who is kind, fair and upholds truth and equality.  Maia does his best to maintain a strong confident appearance but growing up outside the city has put him at a somewhat disadvantage in the Dos and Don’ts of court life. Maia doesn’t know who he can trust, and the people that he can trust try to distance themselves from him so tongues don’t waggle, as some people feel Maia is giving more importance to people who are nothing but his servants/guards.

Addison has created a fascinating world; I was immediately sucked into everything that was going on around Maia. I love seeing Maia give back to his people, even when there are those who don’t fully support his rule. While I enjoyed the majority of the book, I wish there was more action. The book is close to 500 pages and yet it the book moved at a constant pace; there were not big scenes which made anything you just read less memorable. Also, I’m not sure about other readers who have read this book but I had a difficult time pronouncing the characters’ name. The names were in a way similar to one another but all of it was foreign to me. Every time I try to figure out the correct enunciation, it detracts me away from the story at hand, which happened more often than I’d like.

Overall The Goblin Emperor was still a good read. As I said before, I wish there was more action the story/plot; as I felt myself not fully engaged in the story at times. Regardless I’d recommend this to fantasy fans that enjoy a beautifully written and detailed fantasy-steampunk novel. 

Sell-By Date by Melissa F. Olson

Title: Sell-By Date
Author: Melissa F. Olson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Old World Short Story (.5 Scarlett Bernard)

E-Book, 23 Pages
Publication: April 22, 2014

Source: I received a review copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.

Buy|AMAZON|

Via Amazon: This prequel story takes us back to the first meeting between crime scene cleaner and null Scarlett Bernard and her roommate Molly, a vampire with a complicated past and an even more complicated motive for inviting Scarlett into her home. Here, for the first time, read the story of Molly and Scarlett's first meeting - from Molly's point of view. (This short story takes place prior to the beginning of Dead Spots.)

MY THOUGHTS 

Sell-by Date is a short story that takes place (in the same world) before Dead Spot. In Dead Spot readers meet the heroine Scarlett’s roommate Molly…but we never knew how they came to be roomies. Sell-by Date answers that precise question, how did Scarlett and Molly meet?

Sell-by Date is narrated by the oh-so-funny Molly as she navigates the human world and the new L.A. scene. You see, Molly was turn when she was 17-years-old and even though she is about 90 …she can’t order a beer or stay out late after curfew without having the cops card her. I really enjoyed reading this short story and seeing a different side to Molly. In Dead Spot, Molly came off as a fun and outgoing roommate that kind of roomed with Scarlett so that she may ‘age’ (because any supernatural being that comes within a 15 mile radius of Scarlett becomes normal/human again). While that is definitely one of the reasons why, it turns out there’s another entirely different reason why Molly so desperately wanted Scarlett as a roommate.

I loved Molly ever since I met her in Dead Spots, and after reading Sell-by Date I would really like to read more of the old world from Molly’s POV. I think the author is planning to write a spin-off from her Scarlett Bernard series, so finger crosses that Molly gets a full book! I highly recommend this short story to already fans of Scarlett or if you’re interested in checking out the series (Dead Spot, book 1) this is a great introduction to the world, characters, and the author’s writing. I highly recommend it! Sell-by Date was a fun and cute short story! 

New Sight by Jo Schneider

Title: New Sight
Author: Jo Schneider
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Series: N/A

Paperback, 310 pages

Publication: April 22, 2014 by Jolly Fish Press 

Source: I received a review copy from the publicist in exchange for a honest review.

Buy|Amazon|Book Depo|

After succumbing to the sudden and terrifying urge to rip people’s eyes out of their sockets, 16-year-old Lysandra Blake finds herself tied down in a psych ward, convinced she’s crazy. The doctors have no answers, and Lys is ready to give up when the mysterious Jeremiah Mason appears, telling Lys that she’s not insane—she’s addicted to a rare and deadly drug that she has no recollection of using. Mr. Mason offers to take her to his facility where he can treat her. Desperate yet suspicious, Lys agrees to go with Mr. Mason to his facility where she meets with a fellow addict, the tall and handsome Kamau. Together they discover that Mr. Mason may not have told them the truth about their condition—they’re thrown headfirst into a world of daunting powers that are not only unbelievable, they are dangerous.

MY THOUGHTS

New Sight is narrated by 16-year-old Lysandra ‘Lys’ Blake. At the start of the book, readers find Lys in a mental institution; everyone thinks she’s crazy because she attacked her mom and then inflicted a self wound. Dr. Mason says Lys is affected by a drug that makes her want to gouge people’s eyes out, and that he’s the only person that can help her. With Lys and her parents’ permission Dr. Mason takes Lys to a private hospital, where she can be with others who are also affected with the same drug. It turns out Dr. Mason is a liar and Lys and the other patients aren’t affected by a drug; they have magical powers!

New Sight was a fresh and unique concept that I’ve never read before. The beginning of the book read like a sci-fi, but a few chapters in the real reasons for Lys and the others’ abilities came to light…they have powers that ties back into our 5 senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. Long ago the majority of the people had magic but for the select few who didn’t weren’t happy so they developed technology to even the playing field. The technology eventually grew so powerful that the people’ magic became suppressed then dormant. Readers explored the different abilities/powers and watch as the characters themselves learn how to control it. Each power corresponds to the five senses and within each power there are different stages of mastery: toddler (beginner), adolescent (intermediate), and adult (full mastery). I think the author did a good job at creating an original magic system that was well explained but I still think the world building can use a little work. Everything was easy to understand and straightforward but I felt there was still something lacking…what exactly? I’m still not sure; I felt like something was missing.

While the overall idea of the novel was great, I thought the characters were two dimensional. I didn’t really connect with Lys or any of the other people she met when she escaped the hospital. There was so much happening and action in the book that I never felt like I got to know the characters. I don’t even recall any background information either, maybe just Kamau’s history but none of the others...and one of the more interesting characters died! That was a bummer. I think if the author spent as much time as she did explaining the magic system on characters development, the book would have been better balanced out. There is also a little romance going on in the background between Lys and one of the patients she meets but it is barely developing. I thought the light blossoming romance was sweet and I really enjoyed the pairs’ dialogue. 

Overall New Sight was an enjoyable and well written debut novel by Schneider. The book started out a bit slow but after a couple of chapters things got exciting and lasted that way till the very end. I highly recommend this book to young adult, dystopian, and paranormal fans alike. I think New Sight will appeal to many people because it definitely has a lot to offer. 

[BLOG TOUR] Guest Post by Jo Schneider + Giveaway

I'd like to welcome Jo Schneider, author of NEW SIGHT to Short & Sweet Reviews Blog! On today's New Sight blog tour stop Jo will be talking about the magic system in her debut novel, which is set to hit stores and e-Readers on April 22, 2014! Also don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

ABOUT THE BOOK

 OUT APRIL 22, 2014
Pre-order the book on AMAZON|B&N|

 After succumbing to the sudden and terrifying urge to rip people’s eyes out of their sockets, 16-year-old Lysandra Blake finds herself tied down in a psych ward, convinced she’s crazy. The doctors have no answers, and Lys is ready to give up when the mysterious Jeremiah Mason appears, telling Lys that she’s not insane—she’s addicted to a rare and deadly drug that she has no recollection of using. Mr. Mason offers to take her to his facility where he can treat her. Desperate yet suspicious, Lys agrees to go with Mr. Mason to his facility where she meets with a fellow addict, the tall and handsome Kamau. Together they discover that Mr. Mason may not have told them the truth about their condition—they’re thrown headfirst into a world of daunting powers that are not only unbelievable, they are dangerous.

by Jo Schneider

I've never been a big fan of waving a wand and having every aspect of a story sorted out. Well, I wish I had a magic wand that sorted out my current work in process, but that's totally different.

Back to it. Any part of a story should have consequences. You use a gun and you run out of ammo, you punch a wall and break you fist, you tell a lie and get to live with the repercussions and you toss magic around and...what?

What happens?

My mother is a strict woman. I blame her for my need for order. That childhood scarring came out in the magic system for New Sight. I felt like the system needed strict boundaries for the outside, but some room to play on the inside.

I'll bet I have ten pages in a notebook (I still have to plot old-school with paper and pen) titled, “Magic System???????”

I went through a bunch, stealing what others had done and trying to twist them into unrecognizable systems of awesome. But that never really worked. I was drawn to the four elements. Yes, at the time I was watching a little too much Avatar, the Last Air Bender—the cartoon, not the movie. I liked the idea of each character having their own special set of abilities.

Which is what many magic systems are made of. Even the X-Men is like this, they're all mutants, but each mutation limits the person in their abilities. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series also uses magic in this way. So it's a popular outline that I decided to fill in. Instead of using the elements or any part of earth's nature, I decided to use the five senses as the basis for the magic system of New Sight. Each character has a sense that is more powerful than their others. The magic channels through that, and manifests itself in slightly different ways for everyone.

For instance, there are two touch users (people whose sense of touch is infused with magic) in the story. One of them can touch a wounded person, feel what the problem is and fix it. The other one is less useful than a Band-Aid in the healing department, but he can manipulate the ground like it’s Play Doh. One sight user can send hallucinations into other people's minds, while another can see through other people's eyes. Both can see in the dark. But you only get one sense. No crossing over. It doesn't work that way.

And while I thought the above was pretty cool, I wanted to toss in a small complication. I remember thinking about what to do right before going to a sparring class for Kempo. All of the martial arts I've learned kicked in, and I thought, “What if you couldn't ever change the amount of power that you have? What if you're stuck with more power than you know what to do with? Or less than you need?”

Thinking about sparring, I came to the conclusion that those with more power were like the white belts in class—hit fast, hit hard and whatever you do, hit something. Pretty much the magic pours out of them at top speed, like a faucet turned on full. As opposed to me, who prefers to wait for my target to get close enough to hit them in just the right place to incapacitate them. (Wow, I sounded pretty cool there. Don't believe it.) The magic users with more control don’t get as much power, so they have to make it count.

So I came up with a power ranking system. It ranges from infant—more power and no control—to ancient—much less power, but a great deal of precision control.

Yes, the names are lame. One of the characters spends half the book trying to come up with better names for everything. The part that might be my favorite is that with your power level comes your eye color. When a character uses magic, their eyes will swirl either silver, blue, gold, red or black. That's how you can tell how much power they have. This becomes very important in New Sight when the main character is identified as a rare combination. Like having those universal donor blood types

The story goes into how magic interacts with our world, and what will happen if too much comes through at once. There are serious consequences for those who trifle with the balance in the world.

Jolly Fish Press is hosting a tour wide giveaway for 3 SIGNED ARC of NEW SIGHT!

To enter fill out the Rafflecopter below!

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Ann Schneider grew up in Utah and Colorado, and wonders how people who live in flat places can tell where they're going. In her sixteenth year, Jo went with her family to Europe. This spawned a travel bug that will never be satisfied. One of Jo's goals is to travel to all seven continents--five down, two to go.

Perhaps the most challenging thing Jo has ever done (besides write novels) was stick with her Shaolin Kempo classes long enough to earn her black belt. Persistence, not an overabundance of mad skill, is what got her there, and she just keeps going back for more. An intervention may be in order at some point.

Being a geek at heart, Jo has always been drawn to science fiction and fantasy. She writes both, and hopes to introduce readers into worlds that wow them and characters that they can cheer for.

Jo lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her adorkable husband, Jon, who is very useful for science and computer information as well as getting items off of top shelves. By day she is a mechanical designer of disgustingly expensive hand-crafted steel lights, and by night she is a ninja. Woosh, woosh. 

Connet with Jo on Twitter|Facebook|Blog

[BLOG TOUR] The Ophelia Prophecy Excerpt & Giveaway

ABOUT THE BOOK

OUT NOW!

Our world is no longer our own. We engineered a race of superior fighters -- the Manti, mutant humans with insect-like abilities. Twenty-five years ago they all but destroyed us. In Sanctuary, some of us survive. Eking out our existence. Clinging to the past.

Some of us intend to do more than survive.
Asha and Pax -- strangers and enemies -- find themselves stranded together on the border of the last human city, neither with a memory of how they got there.

Asha is an archivist working to preserve humanity’s most valuable resource -- information -- viewed as the only means of resurrecting their society.Pax is Manti, his Scarab ship a menacing presence in the skies over Sanctuary, keeping the last dregs of humanity in check.

Neither of them is really what they seem, and what humanity believes about the Manti is a lie.With their hearts and fates on a collision course, they must unlock each other's secrets and forge a bond of trust before a rekindled conflict pushes their two races into repeating the mistakes of the past.

------------------------------------------------------


EXCERPT

Water pooled around Asha’s hips, soaking her thin cotton dress. She studied the glimmering surface of the lake, and the rocky hillside looming on the opposite side.

The reservoir. How did I get here?

 

Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingers to her temples. The last thing she remembered was climbing to the roof of the Archive with her father. It was a beautiful spring evening, and they’d planned to picnic and watch the sunset. She’d stepped off the ladder onto the corrugated, white-washed metal, and then . . . 

Sleep, Ophelia.

She grasped at the words as they breezed across her consciousness. They had the ring of command, yet she had no memory of who had spoken them, or why. 

A masculine moan sounded, so close she rolled into a crouch and skittered into the shallow water. The lithe movement of her own body surprised her almost as much as the unexpected voice.

Just beyond the depression she’d left on the beach, a naked form stirred. A stranger. His gaze riveted on her. He sat up straight, fists digging into the sand. No, not sand. His body rested on a bed of some soft, fibrous material. 

She remembered the flimsy dress—now wet and clinging to her body—and hugged her bent legs, concealing herself as best she could. Her heart pounded against her thighs.

“Who are you?” they both demanded.

So the confusion was mutual. 

“You first,” he said. A command, not a courtesy.

She hesitated. The man now seemed familiar—something about the eyes. They curved down at the inside corners, making them appear to slant under his dark, arched eyebrows. But she couldn’t place him.   

He rose to a crouch, eyes moving over her like an extension of his arms, prying at the locked arms that concealed her body from him. 

She reached up to release the clip that held her coiled hair to the back of her head, thinking she would cover herself with it. She gasped to discover her heavy tresses were gone.

Tears of confusion welled in her eyes. Fear knotted her stomach.

“What’s your name?” the stranger insisted.

“Asha,” she whispered, uncertain. There’d been another name a moment ago. A name that had seemed to mean something.

Her throat tightened, strangling her words, as she said, “I don’t understand…”

“What are you doing here?” 

She raised her eyes to his face, shrinking from the heat of his gaze. “I don’t know.”

His eyes bored into hers, probing for the thoughts behind them. He frowned, brow furrowing with doubt. He doesn’t believe me.  

“Who are you?” she repeated, indignation nudging past the fear that gripped her.

He slid his hands up his shoulders to rub his neck, baring the hard lines of his stomach, revealing pale marks under either side of his ribcage. Scars. 

“Paxton,” he said. One hand moved to the back of his head, and he winced. He probed the sore spot with his fingers.

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t know.”

She glanced again at the fibrous nest. “What’s that?”

“Carapace.” 

She blinked at him, the meaning of the familiar word eluding her. Before she could question him further, he rose to his feet, scanning the horizon. Her eyes lingered on the marks below his ribs.

He stood so long—motionless and studying the edge of the sky—she began to think he’d forgotten her. His composure was troubling. There was a shared mystery here, clearly, but they were not equal participants.   

“How can you be so calm?” she asked, voice lifting with anxiety. “Do you know something I don’t? Has this kind of thing happened to you before?”

Paxton glanced down at the nest. “Yes.”

She gaped at him, but the low whine of an approaching ship changed the subject. Her heart jumped as the black beetle hummed into view, dragging its own reflection across the surface of the lake. 

She sprang to her feet. “That’s an enemy ship!” she cried. “We have to go!”

Technically the war was over. Very little left for the Manti to fight. But they still ruled the air, keeping tabs on the last dregs of humanity. Citizens of Sanctuary were forbidden to wander away from the city, and the reservoir marked the border.

Again his eyes skewered her to the spot. “No, we wait here. That’s my ship.”

“Your ship? I don’t…”

She side-stepped a couple meters down the beach, eyeing him fearfully.

Overhead, the beetle whirred to rest, cupped wings lifting to allow a controlled vertical landing. With a series of loud clicks it nestled into the sand, hover gear lowering and locking back against the hull. The lusterless, black skin of the vessel looked like rubber, but she knew it was a secreted resin. As she stared, frozen to the spot, the hull lightened from jet to blond, until it was almost invisible against the sand. 

“Pax, you okay?” a feminine voice sounded from the ship’s external com.

“I’m okay,” called Asha’s companion. “Drop the ramp.”

“Who’s that with you?” 

Paxton frowned at Asha. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

 Thanks to the wonderful people at TOR BOOKS, I have 3 copies of THE OPHELIA PROPHECY up for grabs! To enter please fill out the rafflecopter below.

*US/CA ONLY*

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist and a three-time RWA Golden Heart Award finalist, SHARON LYNN FISHER lives in the Pacific Northwest. She writes books for the geeky at heart—sci-fi flavored stories full of adventure and romance—and battles writerly angst with baked goods, Irish tea, and champagne. Her works include Ghost Planet (2012), The Ophelia Prophecy (2014), and Echo 8 (2014). You can visit her online at SharonLynnFisher.com.