Edition 31: Paranormal Fiction

The 31st Bookworms Carnival is here and we have a great edition for you.  This time around, we’re looking at paranormal fiction, which seems to have exploded to everyone’s amazement (except for me, I love it).  However, the more I wander through the book blogging community, I wonder why anyone thought this genre wasn’t going to bloom.  Fantasy is a great way to escape reality (and I don’t know about anyone else, but the news is so depressing right now) and why wouldn’t you want to meet up with tall dark and alpha?  Think I’m crazy?  Check out some of these great reviews and tell me you wouldn’t want to escape to these worlds, if not for just a little while.

Angels & Demons

Jacqueline over at Undercover Book Lover shares the fun that is the Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox – All the requisite ingredients for a good time are there.

Ana & Thea at the Book Smugglers is sharing their review of Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh. I’m trying to find a short quote from each review, but these two are hilarious and I can’t pick just one.

Literary Escapism is also sharing her reviews of the first two novels in Meljean Brook’s Guardian series – Demon Angel and Demon Moon.

Katie at Books & Needlepoint shares a review for Marked by Passion by Katy Perry, the first novel in the Guardians of Destiny series – Even though it was a paranormal – I felt like these were people you could actually find at the corner bar.

Jacqueline over at Undercover Book Lover shares the Succubus Heat, the fourth installment in Richelle Mead’s Georgina Kincaid series – …despite this being a story about the preternatural, this is all very real. I know it sounds cliche but I laughed, I cried. I definitely cried.

Literary Escapism is sharing a review on Salt and Silver the debut novel by Anna Katherine, but Jackie (moi) is also giving away a copy of this novel in celebration of Anna Katherine’s post at LE.

Magic & Fey

Both Jacqueline over at Undercover Book Lover and Jo at Ink & Paper have opinions on Jaye Wells first novel, Red-Headed Stepchild.

Literary Escapism and Alpha Heroes share their views on White Witch, Black Curse, the latest Rachel Morgan novel by Kim Harrison.  And Jo at Ink & Paper shares her review of the first novel in the series, Dead Witch Walking.

Katie at Books & Needlepoint and Ana from Things Mean A Lot share one of my favorite YA paranormals, Wickedly Lovely by Melissa Marr.

Christina at Jacket & Covers shares her review for the great Linda Wisdom novel, 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover.  This is a fun series I thoroughly enjoy myself.

Vampires & Shapeshifters

Beth from Beth Fish Reads brings us reviews of the third and fourth Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris – Club Dead and Dead to the World- This entry in the series is better than the last.  And Undercover Book Lover gives us her opinion on the latest installment with Dead and Gone.

Literary Escapism wasn’t the only one who totally loved Chloe Neill’s debut novel, Some Girls Bite.  Jacqueline at Undercover Book Lover says “Hands down, this is one of the best urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels that I’ve ever read.”

Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All reviews the Long Way Home, the first volume of season 8 for Buffy the Vampire Slayer – I found it exciting, comforting, but a bit confusing.

Laura at I’m Booking It gives us her take on Twilight, the first novel in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga – It wasn’t a particularly good book, but I enjoyed it in spite of that.

Melissa over at One Librarian’s Book Reviews gives us her take on Breaking Dawn the fourth installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga – Not great and glorious and perfect literature, but an exciting and interesting…

Jodie at Book Gazing gives high regards for Changeling by Steven Feasy – If you’re looking for a new supernatural YA action/adventure series to replace the hole Harry left then I’d recommend trying [this].

For any paranormal junkie, everyone should know or read JR Ward and Nicola at Alpha Heroes is giving us a review on the latest release, Lover Avenged – I’ll say straight up: I liked it. Flawed, but still a great story. Decadence over at Book Thingo has put together a copy of cheat sheets for the Black Dagger Brotherhood cheat sheets, including one for Acheron.

Christina at Jacket & Covers brings us a great review for a SAT prep novel – Vampire Dreams by Tyche.  It actually says “an SAT vocabulary novel” on the cover and for some reason, that just cracks me up.

I’ll be honest, when Jo from Ink & Paper submitted these next few reviews, I was going to limit them a little, but she sent ones for two of my favorite authors, so I’m including them all.  Check out her reviews for Karen Chance’s Touch the Dark and Claimed by Shadow; Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave, One Foot in the Grave and At Grave’s End (and I have to say, the fourth novel – Destined for an Early Grave – is just as spectacular!).  Plus, I’ve heard great things about Chris Marie Green’s Night Rising, so I couldn’t resist including that one as well.

And to round off the vampire/shapeshifter section, we needed to include a book that was completely about shapeshifters.  Jo at Ink & Paper gives us her opinion on Rachel Vincent’s first Shifter novel, Stray.

Angie at Angieville managed to get her hands on a copy of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver. Since it’s not due out to August 1st, it’s good to know that Angie says Maggie Stiefvater has managed to craft an intensely involving, desperate love story without the cliche teen stupidity a la Romeo & Juliet.

Literary Escapism is sharing her opinions about the Accidental Friends series by Dakota Cassidy.

Random Supernaturals

Emily over at Emily’s Reading Room brings us a short novel that I’m unfamiliar with.  The Supernaturalist by Eion Colfer is fast-paced and has a great ending.

Nicola at Alpha Heroes gives us her opinion on Jacqueline Carey’s newest urban fantasy novel, Santa Olivia – …her language is lyrical and an almost physical pleasure to read, even if the story itself isn’t to your taste.

Melissa over at One Librarian’s Book Reviews is sharing Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument series and I’ve heard wonderful things about.

1. City of Bones – The excitement and anticipation of events kept me turning pages all day.
2. City of Ashes – The characters are engaging and the dialog often witty.
3. City of Glass – It had action, romance, and twists and turns throughout.

Jacqueline over at Undercover Book Lover also brings us a review for Black and White, the latest release by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge – Don’t expect squeaky clean, Superman-type heroes here.

Literary Escapism is also sharing her review of Ghostland, the wonderful release by Jory Strong.

Christina at Jacket & Covers shares a rather unusual tale.  Forever, by Peter Hamill, is a historic fiction novel that takes the reader from Belfast, Ireland in the 1700s to the fall of the Twin Towers in New York City. It’s beautifully written – descriptive and vivid in a way that you can feel, see, smell, touch, and taste New York City.

Nicola at Alpha Heroes is loving the third book in Alyssa Day’s Warriors of Poseidon seires, Atlantis Unleashed.  Nicola’s site is one of my favorites to read because I just love her “gems” of words – I am totally girly enough to appreciate a fantasy world where at least part of the magic hinges on fabled stones, and I have loved the questing story since my first book of fairy tales.

Around the Blogosphere

I’ll be honest, I’m kind of bias when it comes to paranormal fiction since it’s my genre. With that in mind, I keep my eyes and ears open for all shorts of tidbits, so I thought I would share these with the BWC peeps this time around. Here are a few interviews going on involving various paranormal fiction writers:

1. SciFiGuy has an amazing collection of information for his weekend update
2. Interview with Jackie Kessler, author of the Hell on Earth series, by CT Adams and Cathy Clamp
3. Interview with Stephen Zimmer, author of The Exodus Gate, by Amberkatze Reviews
4. Interview with Nancy Haddock, author of Last Vampire Standing, by Fang-tastic Books
5. Interview with Maree Anderson, author of Even Demons Get the Blues, by Nalini Singh
6. Interview with Richelle Mead, author of the Georgina Kincaid series, at Bitten by Books – talking about the Kincaid series
7. Interview with Jeri Smith-Ready, author of the WVMP Radio series, at Patricia’s Vampire Notes – talking about her vampires and their OCD
8. Interview with Richelle Mead, author of the Vampire Academy and Dark Swan series, by The BookBind
9. Interview with Georgia Evans, author of Bloody Good, by Fantastic Book Reviews

Upcoming Editions

Check out what’s coming up in the next couple of weeks. If you see a topic you’re interested in or currently review, you should so submit something to these fabulous hosts.

Edition 32 hosted by: Ali at Worducopia
Deadline for submission: June 26, 2009
Theme: Local (to you) Authors
To submit a post, email: worducopia AT gmail DOT com

Edition 33 hosted by: the BWC
Deadline for submission: July 10 2009
Theme: Whatcha Reading? – Give me your latest review or your favorite
To submit a post, email: bookwormscarnival at gmail dot com

Edition 34 hosted by: Bella at A Bibliophile
Deadline for submission: July 24, 2009
Theme: YA Fantasy
To submit a post, email: bellalee.mc at gmail dot com