Review: Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

Title: Owl and the Japanese Circus (The Adventures of Owl #1)
Author: Krista Charish
Publisher: Gallery (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Acquired Via: Library
Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.

Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.

My Review

This review was originally posted at http://kimheniadis.com and used to introduce the newest reviewer, Kim, to the fold.

You know that old saying, Don’t Choose a Book by Its Cover? I usually don’t. I often pick a book by its title, that’s why I chose Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish. Owls in a Japanese circus act? What are they doing? But wait, this is an Urban Fantasy, so that can’t even be close to what it’s about. I flipped the book over and started reading the back.

Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Harrison and Butcher’s books are ones that I read as soon as they come out. And I’ve never heard of Linda Hamilton, but maybe they meant Laurell K. Hamilton, and I used to read her books... sounds excellent so far.

Then I read “modern-day “Indiana Jane”. What is that meme? Shut up and take my money.

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): The Crimson Gate by Whitney A. Miller

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of The Crimson Gate blog tour! Today, I'll be talking with Whitney Miller! If you haven't read The Violet Hour, you may want to skip down straight to the interview.



Title: The Violet Hour
Author: Whitney A. Miller
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: March 8, 2015
Harlow must stop her evil counterpart in this thrilling sequel to The Violet Hour.

Harlow Wintergreen has just been named the new Matriarch of VisionCrest, the powerful religious organization previously led by her father. But there's one big problem. The real Harlow is trapped inside a Cambodian temple, and her double, the evil Isiris, has escaped confinement and is masquerading as her.

Now initiated as their leader, Isiris intends to unleash a killer super virus aimed at cleansing the planet of VisionCrest. In order to stop her, Harlow must find a way out of the temple and locate the Resistance...or the world will be destroyed.

Interview

Kayla: Hi Whitney, thank you so much for stopping back by Bibliophilia, Please allowing me to ask you a few questions. To start us off, I would like to congratulate you on being nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel for The Violet Hour. How did you find out about your nomination?

Whitney A. Miller: Thank you! It was really exciting to be on the long list for the Bram Stoker. I’m an active member of the Horror Writers Association so I knew the list was coming out, but didn’t know I’d been nominated until I saw some congratulatory tweets! Twitter is how I found out most of my exciting book info, and this was no exception. :-)

Kayla: Can you tell us a little bit about The Violet Hour? Should we read it before The Crimson Gate?

Audiobook Review: Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

Title: Kinslayer (The Lotus War #2)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan)
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The toxic blood lotus flower continues to ravage the land, the deadlands splitting wider by the day. The machine-worshippers of the Lotus Guild conspire to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously - by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

My Review

You can read my review of the first book, Stormdancer HERE.

I put off reading Kinslayer until this year because, to me, there is nothing worse than reading the middle book of a trilogy and being stuck with a huge cliffhanger for a year. So if there was a cliffhanger (and I think there was), I didn't really notice because I only had to wait like three days for Endsinger.

2014 Debut Author Bash (Guest Post & Giveaway): Whitney A. Miller

Thank you so much for visiting by Bibliophilia, Please for my stop of the 2014 Debut Author Bash! Today, I'll be featuring Whitney A. Miller and her debut novel, The Violet Hour. I reviewed The Violet Hour back in March, and you can read it HERE.

Guest Post

Scary Books I've Read
Whitney A. Miller
It’s REALLY HARD to pick just one book I read as a teenager that was the absolute scariest. I spent A LOT of time reading scary books. Everything from Lois Duncan (seriously, what did you do last summer? based on the cover I’d say it has something to do with MURDER) to Christopher Pike (don’t open that chain letter! the person who wrote it also knows what you did last summer!!) to Margaret Atwood (I mean, summer, winter or fall, The Handmaid's Tale is terrifying, y’all).

But hands-down the scariest book I read was one I smuggled off my parents’ bookshelf as a nine year old...Stephen King’s IT. It had a sewer grate on the cover with an unassuming paper boat about to be swept into it. If you looked closer, there was a tiny, evil claw emerging from between the bars of the grate. This told me all I needed to know. I was probably not allowed to read this book and it was certainly going to give me nightmares. Two important criteria on my summer reading list. I had to have it immediately.

Blog Tour (Review): The Blade of the Samurai by Susan Spann

Title: Blade of the Samurai (Shinobi Mystery #2)
Author: Susan Spann
Publisher: Minotaur Books (Macmillan)
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Blog Tours
Release Date: July 15, 2014
June, 1565: Master ninja Hiro Hattori receives a pre-dawn visit from Kazu, a fellow shinobi working undercover at the shogunate. Hours before, the shogun’'s cousin, Saburo, was stabbed to death in the shogun’s palace. The murder weapon: Kazu’s personal dagger. Kazu says he’s innocent, and begs for Hiro’s help, but his story gives Hiro reason to doubt the young shinobi’s claims.

When the shogun summons Hiro and Father Mateo, the Portuguese Jesuit priest under Hiro’s protection, to find the killer, Hiro finds himself forced to choose between friendship and personal honor.

The investigation reveals a plot to assassinate the shogun and overthrow the ruling Ashikaga clan. With Lord Oda’s enemy forces approaching Kyoto, and the murderer poised to strike again, Hiro must use his assassin’s skills to reveal the killer’s identity and protect the shogun at any cost. Kazu, now trapped in the city, still refuses to explain his whereabouts at the time of the murder. But a suspicious shogunate maid, Saburo’s wife, and the shogun’s stable master also had reasons to want Saburo dead. With the shogun demanding the murderer’s head before Lord Oda reaches the city, Hiro and Father Mateo must produce the killer in time . . . or die in his place.

Susan Spann's Blade of the Samurai is a complex mystery that will transport readers to a thrilling and unforgettable adventure in sixteenth-century Japan.

My Review

Susan Spann's Blade of the Samurai is the second novel in her Shinobi Mystery series set in Japan in the 1500. Though it is not necessary (as I was told) to read Claws of the Cat before reading this book, there are many references to the events in Hiro and Father Mateo's first book.

Though I'm self-admittedly not a big fan of mysteries, I enjoyed Blade of the Samurai because the history was so rich. Most of my historical research has been centered in Europe, so it's been exciting to learn all of the little tidbits of information Spann includes in her novel. She slips in facts about samurai culture, how the government worked, as well customs. That being said, it never felt like a history lesson - these things were expertly weaved into the story.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Violet Hour by Whitney A. Miller

Tour Schedule



Title: The Violet Hour
Author: Whitney A. Miller
Publisher: Flux
Acquired Via: Book Nerd Tours
Release Date: March 8, 2014
The voice inside me is breaking free. I can’t stop it.

Some call VisionCrest the pinnacle of religious enlightenment. Others call it a powerful cult. For seventeen years, Harlow Wintergreen has called it her life.

As the daughter of VisionCrest’s patriarch, Harlow is expected to be perfect at all times. She must be considered a paragon of integrity by the other Ministry teens and a future leader in the eyes of the world.

Despite the constant scrutiny Harlow is keeping a dark and dangerous secret, even from her best friend and the boy she loves. She hears a voice in her head that seems to have a mind of its own, plaguing her with violent and bloody visions. It commands her to kill. And the urge to obey is getting harder and harder to control…

Book Trailer


My Review

Do you like horror? I like horror. And let me tell you, The Violet Hour does horror well, so much so that it reminded me of why I enjoyed the genre so much in the first place. It made me cringe, squirm, and creeped me out - which is kind of the whole point, amiright?

Internal Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

A DYING LAND

The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST

The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT

Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Title: Stormdancer
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
Release Date: September 18, 2012
My Review

Me: Well, well, well, you FINALLY read Stormdancer.

Myself: You knew that I would! I just had to get around to it.

Me: Oh, please, you're the biggest procrastinator ever!

Myself: Whatever, I read the book, marveled at the epic world-building, basked in my crush on Yukiko, and cried like a bitch at the end.

Book Thoughts: An Internal Dialogue About Stormdancer

Me: Hey, Kayla, didn't you read Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff last year?

Myself: Umm... Hey! I ordered that book sometime in 2011 (I think) before it had any cover art. I appealed to all the Powers to get an ARC, but was unsuccessful. Did you know that Kevin Hearne, one of my nerd idols, said that the book was awesome? I bought the book on his recommendation alone!

Me: Yeah, I know all of that already. We're the same person, remember? But didn't you grab it and start reading it as soon as it came out?!

Myself: Yep, I sure did! It had some of the most beautifully crafted world-building that I've ever encountered in a novel. I have absolutely no idea why it is even classified as YA except that Yukiko is a teen. I think it has to do with marketing, but I think the YA tag may turn off some adult readers that haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet. It should be classified as "AWESOME" and leave it as that.

Me: I agree completely. How long did it take you to finish it?

Myself: Have you SEEN the cover art for Kinslayer?!


Me: Oh yeah, it is totally badass, though Cuddlebuggery's reveal kind of made it awkward to look at. I think it's the veins on the sea creatures neck.

Myself: *stares at the cover* Yeah... But seriously, I have a crush on these covers. There is just so much badassery going on that it's almost painful to look at the cover. I think I'd switch teams for Yukiko if I wasn't afraid that she'd kick my ass!

Me: Yes, she would totally kick your ass. I'm sorry to interrupt your rambling, but when did you finish READING Stormdancer?

Myself: *glares*

Me: *waits*

Myself: *glares*

Me: OMG! You didn't finish reading it?!

Myself: You know what, you're just some crazy figment of my imagination that is OUT TO GET ME!

Me: Bahahaha! You totally didn't finish the book! You fantard so hard over Jay Kristoff, but you didn't even read the @$%^&!* book! Kayla, seriously, what the hell is going on with you?!

Myself: See, what had happened was—

Me: *groans*

Myself: Fine! I was working three jobs, juggling review copies, and it kind of ended up back on the shelf. It happens!

Me: You know what, you suck just a little bit. You know damn good and well that Stormdancer was primed up to be the best thing you read last year. What's really going on?

Myself: *shuffles feet*

Me: Spill it!

Myself: Okay, okay! I don't want to cry.

Me: You don't want to cry?

Myself: Yeah, I don't want to cry.

Me: Why would you cry?

Myself: Well, everyone seems to have it on these "made-me-cry" shelves on Goodreads. And even Jay says in his "About Me" section states that he doesn't believe in happy endings.

Me: Do you want to know what I think?

Myself: No.

Me: I'm going to tell you anyway.

Myself: I figured that.

Me: Just go read the damn book.

Myself: Ha! I one-upped you there! I bought the audiobook on Audible, and I've been listening to it. I'm taking my hardcover with me on vacation so I can read in the car. So neener neener neener!

Me: How about you stop talking to yourself now? Everyone is going to think you're crazier than what they already do.

Myself: Actually, you're the one who started it.

Me: Touché.

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Title: Stormdancer
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan)
Release Date: September 18, 2012

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium is verging on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshippers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of the imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger—a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Teaser Tuesdays (4)

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

It was a different smile than the one I had seen earlier. It was gentler, almost shy — but still just as dangerous.

-- Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

Page 173 (ARC)

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Candlewick Press

Preorder Here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble