Awesome song!

'Nuff said. Wish this singer every success. 

"Royals" by Lorde:

July 2013 Book Review: Darkfever

Darkfever

By Karen Marie Moning

~Book Review~

*Minor Spoilers*

THIS HIGHLY ADDICTING START to the five-book Fever Series introduces a darkly atmospheric Dublin full of twists, turns, and vicious fey who feed on the unwary at night. All of this is made highly amusing when picturing heroine “Mac” toddling along the dusky streets, as she is a self-professed lover of all things pink and often likened to a Barbie doll. The sheltered twenty-two-year old lives a blissful life in the South, sipping on sweet tea and working on her tan. However, when she receives an odd message from her sister staying abroad in Ireland, followed by the news of her horrific murder, Mac takes it upon herself to track down her sister’s killer.

Mac’s reluctant guide in Dublin is the mysterious Jericho Barrons, a sexy and aloof bookshop owner who agrees to help Mac for reasons of his own. The tension absolutely crackles between these two, particularly as Mac has a habit of doing the opposite of everything Barrons orders. However, when it becomes apparent that Mac can sense Fey artifacts, there’s no way Barrons is letting Mac go anywhere. Both Mac’s sister’s fate and the key to ruling the mortal and Fey worlds seems to be tied to the fabled Sinsar Dubh, a book of immense power in Celtic lore, and the unlikely pair set off to find it.

I really enjoyed the mystery of *what* Barrons is and the power that radiates off of him in every scene—he may be a jackass, but he’s a very compelling one. Equally as fascinating is the death-by-sex Fae Prince V’lane. Yes. I just said “death-by-sex.” Moning’s imagination absolutely shines when writing about Mac’s encounters with the Dark Fey. There are some truly grotesque ones, and picturing them lurking in the foggy streets of Dublin after the pubs close is wonderfully spine-tingling. Both Barrons and V’lane are ruthless, ambitious, and multi-layered—which makes the innocent Mac’s relationships with them a tad uncomfortable.

It was difficult to respect Mac. It should be easy enough; the girl’s flown across the Atlantic to track down her sister’s murderer, and that takes guts. However, the pink love affair was blown over the top, making it hard to take her seriously when she took a stand against Barrons. Oftentimes she challenged him out of sheer obstinacy (hiding important clues and information), and not because it was the smart decision, which made her feel pouty and immature. Kudos to Moning for creating a heroine who has a backbone, but a whining, self-absorbed Barbie doll is damn near impossible to like. Let’s toast a pint of Guinness to hoping Mac matures in future installments. 

 

Despite an irritating protagonist, the story is well-told. The pacing idles and surges ahead at all the right moments, making the book nearly impossible to put down. When you reach the “end,” you will curse the universe for being unfair, as there is not much in the way of finality. It feels like the brakes were unnecessarily pumped on the story (ahem, publisher’s decision?). As I obviously enjoyed the world-building behind the Dark Fey and the mystery of the sinister Sinsar Dubh, I can happily report that the series concludes satisfactorily in Book V—but it is definitely recommended to have the next book on hand.

Recommended for fans of: Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, and Anne Bishop

August Book Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Author Spotlight: Multiculturalism in YA Fantasy, Sci Fi, Paranormal, and Fun Books

Hi Everyone! To folks in the US, I hope you have a lovely Fourth of July weekend!

I was recently selected for an Author Spotlight in the Goodreads Groups, "Multiculturalism in YA Fantasy, Sci Fi, Paranormal, and Fun Books." I've had a lot of fun participating in the thoughtful discussions here and meeting folks from all over the globe. It's fantastic to hear about so many other indie books that are breaking out of the mainstream, Euro-centric mold. You'll definitely want to be part of the discussion. Check it out here:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1398656-a-blend-of-urban-and-high-fantasy-with-a-strong-latina-protagonist-autho

For those of you who don't know, this Goodreads groups is moderated by the fabulous duo Libertad and Guinevere, who run a wonderfully thought-provoking blog dedicated to celebrating multicultural entries into YA fantasy. They conduct book reviews, host discussions, and keep us updated on their upcoming novels, so please drop by!

http://twinjabookreviews.blogspot.com/

July Book Review of the Month coming soon! Karen Marie Moning is well-known for her Scottish romance novels, but in her dark fantasy Fever Series, we get to go to Ireland :) I had the marvelous opportunity to spend time over there in the small coastal town of Galway, so I'm excited to revisit old legends of the Sidhe in Dark Fever.

Author Interview

Hi All,

I was recently interviewed by fellow author Alexandra Butcher, who hosts a great blog for readers and authors to interact at the Library of Erana. Alexandra is also the author of The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles. 

You can find the interview here. 

To US readers, have a great Fourth of July!

Jjimjilbang It! 찜질방에 가자!

KOREAN TEACHERS unfortunately have to work on Saturdays, but if you're a foreign English teacher, you most likely get weekends off! There are probably a number of places you’d like to visit for a quick weekend getaway, but hotel costs have you worried. Or maybe you find yourself out in Seoul for the night, and you don’t really feel like taking an hour-long subway ride home. Jjimjilbangs are the famous Korean bathhouses that offer hot spas, saunas, massages—and even a little mat on which to spend the night. 

Image courtesy of koreagetaround.wordpress.com.

 This is your poolside alternative to motels and hostels. Visits can cost as little as 8,000 to 14,0000 won per night ($8-14), depending on the bathhouse. Inner city jjimjilbang stays may cost more. 

I’ve stayed at a number of different jjimjilbangs in Seoul, North Chungcheong, and Jeju Island (which featured one built over natural hot springs). The main routine is basically the same: at the counter, you will be given your jjimjilbang clothes—usually pink or orange shorts and an overlarge T-shirt—and two locker keys on a bracelet for your shoes and clothes. The first room is where you will deposit your shoes for the duration of your stay. Next you’ll arrive at a main co-ed room, set up with a snack counter, TV, and mats & pillows for sleeping. One of my favorite Seoul jjimjilbangs was built like a multi-level hive with massage chairs, quiet/loud rooms, and sand rooms for stripping the dead skin from your feet.

Image courtesy of http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/.

We arrived in the dead of night, so there was a lot of competition for sleeping space. At the very top floor, we managed to find a cluster of little “dens” built out of wooden blocks that you could climb up ladders to nest in. Surrounded by strangers and suffering from an incredible paranoia of getting my phone jacked (ever since I nearly got pick-pocketed in England many years back), I think it’s safe to say I didn’t sleep well. It was incredibly warm, though.

At other jjimjilbangs, I’ve fallen asleep on massage chairs or mats. It’s generally a pleasant free-for-all with families, couples, or working people spending the night there, and you get to enjoy delicious snacks like sikhye (rice juice) and most awesome of all, patbingsu (shaved ice topped with sweet red beans, kiwi, strawberries, and whip cream).

An amazing patbingsu. Image courtesy of www.thewalrus.com/blogs.

 The next day, we got to explore a bit before checking out. The baths are segregated, so men and women go to their separate locker rooms, strip down, and enter a steamy room filled with hot and cold baths, dry heat saunas, and depending how creative your jjimjilbang is—ice, crystal, sand, or wood rooms. Regular showers are available to use before entering the spa, and most include some combination of mirrors, sinks, blow dryers, soaps, and sometimes even shampoo—but don’t count on it. 

My hat is off to foreigners who go by themselves. Korea is a pretty homogenous place, so your birthday suit will often earn gawks and gossip from the older crowd. However, if you go with a group of friends, it isn’t so bad. Tuck up your hair in Sheep Head, or the “Princess Leia” look (luckily I had a friend along who could show us how to fold the towel!) and relax.

 Image courtesy of Cyworld.com. Link to English translation KpopNews.org.

“Itaewonland” in Itaewon (이태원) is a jjimjilbang famous for where famous actor Hyun Bin (My Name is Kim Sam Soon, The Snow Queen) filmed scenes for the successful K-Drama Secret Garden. You get to take a picture with the cut-out!)

 Image courtesy of http://www.lostintherok.com/.

To find a jjimjilbang, look for the Hangeul characters, 찜질방, or find the sauna symbol of three heat waves, pictured below:

Above, you might recognize "사우나": Sa-oo-na, or Sauna. Image courtesy of www.hobotraveler.com.

Some may be several floors up or down in a building, so look carefully for floor numbers (L1 = Level 1, ect). It’s recommended to travel with someone up to speed on their Korean, as there may be no English speaking services available, and it's also the best way to take full advantage of massage/bathing routines available (like the "thread face shave"! :D). And perhaps don’t go to a jjimjilbang too close to where you live—you never know if you might run into one of your students out with their family for a spa night. 

BONUS MATERIAL

If you’ve read Year of the Wolf, you’ll remember that some foreigners are still working through their bathhouse culture shock. Here’s a snippet of a conversation between Citlalli and Rafael on an important initiation night:

WARNING! Spoilers!

Twilight carpeted the land. Overhanging oak branches blocked what little light was left, so all I could see was the glint of Rafael’s white T-shirt ahead of me and a flash of raggedy jeans. He caught me looking at him and grinned, falling back into step beside me.

“Is that really what you’re going to wear?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked up and down my leather jacket, shimmering silver V-neck, and skinny jeans.

“Well, yeah. I didn’t expect it to be such a hike to get there,” I huffed, dragging my tote bag along. He didn’t make any effort to help me carry it.

“I’m just saying,” he gestured to that white T-shirt hugging his lean, defined muscles. “We wolves go through clothes pretty quickly. It’s not like clothes can change with us. We’ve all seen enough of each other at one point or another—or too much, in Jaehoon’s case.”

I must have looked mortified, because he grinned evilly. “Come on, Citlalli. You’ve lived here for four years? You must have braved the jjimjilbangs at one point or another.”

The jjimjilbangs were Korean public bathhouses, notorious for scrubbing off all that dead, nasty skin until you were left raw and clean and fearful of any ajumma wielding an abrasive sponge. However, there was a strict no bathing suit rule. Mami had made me go once. I’d had to break into the liquor cabinet to summon up the nerve. Everyone was naturally curious about foreigners, and had no qualms, none at all, about staring. I was terrified, absolutely terrified, of public nudity.

I tossed my hair and glanced back at Rafael. “Sure. I have no problem with it.”

—© 2012 Year of the Wolf

Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.

YEAR OF THE TIGER *free* for Father's Day Weekend

YEAR OF THE TIGER, the second book in the urban fantasy Changeling Sisters Series, will be free June 15-16th on Amazon.com. 

"Citlalli Alvarez checks her pride in order to convince the Seoul werewolves to launch a dangerous scheme, while her half-sister Raina plays a risky game of seduction in order to steal the soul of a gorgeous 16th-century vampyre. One thing's for certain: no one is waiting on rescue."

Free Copy can be downloaded onto Kindle, Kindle App (Smartphone/Tablet/iPad), and Kindle Cloud Reader (PC).

June 2013 Book Review of the Month: Eon

Eon

By Alison Goodman

~Book Review~

*Minor Spoilers Alert* 

YOU KNOW that online mythology quiz, the one where they ask you: "If you could be any mythological creature, which one would you be?"?

Dragon. Hands down. Every time. Not original? I don’t care. One time I might have said “unicorn,” just to be different…and I felt guilt well up every time I looked at the dragon icon’s face.

Just kidding.

Anyways, Chinese dragons have to be some of the coolest depictions of dragons around. Mainstream culture usually depicts them as wise, benevolent creatures with long flowing beards, not your gold-hoarding Smaug type. So I was very excited to read about Alison Goodman’s take on the celestial zodiac as “spirit” dragons who renew the earth by choosing a new apprentice every rotating cycle. These twelve dragons then form the Dragoneye Council, who have power on par with the Emperor himself. However, the greed of one man will endanger the Rat Dragon’s choice, and thus the future of the empire itself.

After reading that these dragons are named after the twelve Chinese zodiac, you may ask: Wait. So if there’s a Tiger Dragon and a Horse Dragon, then does that mean there’s a…Dragon Dragon? Goodman avoids this redundancy trap by referring to this particularly elusive one as the “Mirror Dragon,” who has not been seen for some time. And that’s where our heroine comes in.

Goodman is a master at strong characterization. I immediately felt sympathetic for “Eon,” also known as “Eona,” a sixteen-year-old girl disguised as a boy, who fights for the chance to become a Dragoneye apprentice. She is an interesting mix. Although innocent enough to be blindsided by the political life’s darker intentions, she also carries a hunger for power, something the greedy Rat Dragoneye is quick to manipulate. She comes off as endearing despite her flaws; you know she’s making the wrong choices, yet at the same time, you understand why she’s making them. Also memorable is Lady Dela, the first Two Spirited character I’ve ever come across in YA fantasy, and Ryko, one of the “Moon Shadow” warriors, who are castrated to ensure they will not have children. Now that’s one of the most star-crossed romances I’ve ever encountered. Goodman breathes such vivid life into this supporting couple that some readers will find them more appealing than Eona. The villainous Lord Ido is another scene-stealer, and I’m hoping for more motivation behind his quest for power.

While the world and characters are easy to lose oneself in, the plot and pacing lag farther behind. The story’s build-up is slow, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it seems like more action was needed to keep the momentum surging forward. Action doesn’t have to be a fight, but it seemed like there was a lot of info-dumping that could have been conveyed in more plot-advancing ways. There is one critical problem between Eona and her dragon that the reader will know how to fix a mile away, but it takes Eona a bit longer to connect the dots.

Despite the shuffling pace, the end is well worth the wait. I found the interwoven Eastern philosophies to be refreshing, the world-building complex and thoughtful, and the supporting characters incredibly well-realized. I particularly liked how Goodman used the different stances of fighting. Highly recommended to have Book II: Eona on hand. You'll just have to find out what happens next! 

Recommended for fans of Julie Kagawa and Kristin Cashore.
July Book Review: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning.