Katherine Harbour's Blog, page 14

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

The Falconer

Steampunk and faeries and a red-haired girl seeking vengeance was a book I couldn't resist. In an alternative Scotland, 1844, Aileana hunts malignant faeries with diy weapons. She's capable of taking care of herself, but her partner in crime is Kiaran, a faery boy trained in martial arts. Her father is distant and blames her for her mother's murder by the evil faery woman Aileana hunts. Aileana's other allies are a childhood friend, Gavin, who can see faeries, and a male version of Tinkerbell named Derrick.

When Aileana learns a seal is breaking and the bad faeries will be entering the world, she and Kiaran try to stop this disaster in a fierce battle.

I loved Aileana. And Kiaran is darkly fascinating. Gavin isn't a distant second either, with his gentlemanly concern and flask of alcohol. And, despite Aileana's mission, it is the aggravating traditions and prejudices of her time that she struggles with as much as her fights against the faeries.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Shadow of the Wind
An intricately wrought Gothic story set in 1945 Barcelona. The protagonist is Daniel, a book dealer's son whose journey begins at The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, after he finds a novel that enchants him and becomes fascinated by the history of its mysterious author. But this isn't just Daniel's story--each eccentric character involved has a tale to tell; stories of revenge, intrigue, romance, angels and devils. There's the young blind woman Daniel falls in love with when he's only a boy. And a tragic and funny character who was once a former policeman and becomes Daniel's confidante. And there's the beautiful young woman Daniel comes to love above all, and her story. There's a haunted, abandoned mansion that might hold the answers to a past injustice. At the heart of this labyrinth is a young man and his ruined life, the author of the book that Daniel learns is being sought by a man who might be a devil. This is a rich, vivid narrative fueled by surprises and complex characters, a ghost story told with literary flair.

Liv Forever by Amy Talkington

Liv, Forever
Artistic Olivia gets into an exclusive boarding school called Wickham Hall (where, unbeknownst to her, some young women have met gruesome ends). She's befriended by one of the school's elite, Malcolm Astor, and Gabe, another scholarship student who is shunned. He's weird, and interesting, and he can see the dead.
It's no spoiler to reveal that Liv ends up murdered and must discover why and who did it, with Malcolm and Gabe. Malcolm, Gabe, and Liv (who can only communicate to Malcolm through Gabe) have great chemistry, and their desperation when they learn who has been killing girls at Wickham Hall for years is wrenching. Liv's beautiful knowledge of the world of art, shared by Malcolm, is also a high point. The revelation isn't a surprise, but the journey to it is full of them. A poignant and very dark ghost story.

Dreams of Shreds and Tatters by Amanda Downum

Dreams of Shreds and Tatters
In this contemporary dark fantasy, a young woman has to rescue her best friend from a dream world straight out of weird fiction. When she encounters a strange and glamorous couple who are more than they seem, the dream world, filled with creepy angels, maenads, and strange figures, threatens to overwhelm her.

Liz's quest to rescue her friend from a mysterious and unseen being called the Yellow King is nightmarish. Her allies are her kind and troubled boyfriend Alex, and the female part of the glamorous couple, Antja, who, for power and immortality, has made a deal with a charismatic man who might be a devil or a divinity disguised as one. There are other characters who encounter their own dreams or nightmares. Nearly every night, as Liz explores a dream city called Carcossa, a dangerous god moves through the real world. There's a lot of story and characters packed into 250 pages, but each character has his/her place and the story is filled with unsettling imagery inspired by Greek mythology and writers such as Arthur Machen and Robert W. Chambers. Anyone who loved Neil Gaiman's American Gods will love this.

Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson

Servants of the Storm
A hurricane rips away teenage Dovey's best friend. After a year of taking pills against the mental trauma, Dovey decides to stop. That's when she begins seeing things again, but, this time, the visions include her friend Carly. Assisted by Baker, another friend and an attractive boy, Dovey soon finds herself wading deeper into a dark world in Savannah. Then she meets the alluring and dangerous Isaac and gets her finger bitten off by a fox-eared girl named Kitty--who is a demon. In fact, there are a lot of demons in Savannah, and the queen is the hurricane itself, Josephine, who later manifests in a terrifying form. Dovey makes her way though this hidden world with the assistance of tricky Isaac, determined to free Carly's soul. The dark fantasy elements and the demon world are fascinating and the trio of Dovey, Baker, and Isaac is an interesting love triangle. I'm hoping for sequels. Please let there be sequels.

Summer Giveaways

I'm running a few giveaways on my blog It's All About Story this summer. The first one ends on June 26!


Nettle King

This giveaway is for a Nettle King arc, a Cinderella journal, sugar skull notepad, and a Lucky Troll doll.

You can enter here: http://katherineharbour.blogspot.com/...

Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige Mckenzie

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl
After Sunshine and her mom move into a depressing and damp house, weird things begin to happen. Sunshine begins to suspect a little girl is haunting the house. but, after meeting a local boy named Nolan, who believes in ghosts, she learns that something much, much worse is infesting her new home. As Sunshine and Nolan struggle to learn that sunshine might also be more than she seems, the supernatural presence begins infecting her mother. A scary perfect-for-summer read about a mother and daughter and an insidious evil.

Summer Books

As a bookseller, choosing which books to read is nearly impossible. But here are the ones I'm anticipating this summer:

The Dark Missions of Edgar Brim by Shane Peacock




Down and Out in Purgatory by Tim Powers




The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi




Wink, Poppy, Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke




Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu




A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin




Elixir by Ruth Vincent




This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab




Everland by Wendy Spinale




Before the Snow by Danielle Paige




The Devourers by Indra Das




The Muse by Jessie Burton




And I Darken by Kiersten White




The Creeper Man by Dawn Kurtagich




Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge
by Paul Krueger

Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett

Blood and Salt
A story of a twin brother and sister and their shadowy, bloody destiny. When Ashlyn and Rhys's mother disappears, they follow clues to the cult compound called Quivera, from which she ran long ago. Quivera is surrounded by cornfields and consists of several mansions. The people are secretive.

Ashlyn has always been haunted by the apparition of a bleeding girl hanging upside down. She's been told she is the descendant of an immortal woman named Katia, who was the lover of the infamous conquistador Coronado.

At the compound, she learns that Dane, a young man she met on the way, is from a bloodline the people in the compound consider forbidden. Ashlyn, seeking the truth of her mother's whereabouts, pretends to play along with the people of Quivera while secretly rebelling against them. When people in Quivera begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways. Ashlyn begins to discover the twisted secret behind Quivera and her own ancestry.

Ashlyn is a spiky heroine and Dane has an edge. The Midwestern Gothic tone and the creepy details of the story's mythology add to an original atmosphere. And, of course, there's that cornfield where lovers 'Walk the corn' never to be seen again.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Night Film
A complex, riveting thriller, strewn throughout with 'archived photographs' and news stories concerning a mysterious director of cult horror films, Stanislas Cordova, who is a cross between Francis Ford Coppola and Dario Argento. Investigative journalist Scott McGrath becomes a little obsessed by the suicide of a young woman who turns out to be Cordova's daughter. Narrated in the first person, Scott's story becomes a labyrinthine quest for a truth that may be as illusory as a film set. He's soon assisted by a mysterious young man and a quirky young woman with Nancy Drew determination. The narrative is rich with details, hints about Cordova's terrifying films, and the tragic life of his daughter. From unreliable tales and rumors told by people who claim to have known Cordova, to tales of witchcraft and curses, the story enveloped me in its spell.