Recommendations from Karin for March 2014

In order to bring some more variety to my blog, I have asked some of my bookish friends to tell about the books they have in the past month, and to give us a recommendation. Today’s post is made by Karin from Austria.

Karin:

I have read 12 books this month and here is the order in which I would like to recommend them:

Murder of Crows: Anne Bishop


Master of Crows: Grace Draven:(do you sense a theme here?)



Entreat Me: Grace Draven:




I don’t want to wax about Murder of Crows because Aurian and Maia have talked about everything I wanted to say as well.

So I would like to recommend a writer who I have discovered recently: Grace Draven
So far she has published only two books as far as I could find and they are both excellent.

Master of Crows is a mixture of dark fantasy and paranormal romance. Silhara (what a unique name for me!) of Neith is the outcast mage who earns his living by harvesting oranges and producing perfumes and the likes. Imagine my surprise: a powerful mage who does not sell his magic to whoever is in need of it, but who works like a common laborer in his orange grove.
Martise of Asher is the slave girl whose master - a bishop – keeps her spirit stone with part of her soul. She is sent to Neith to spy on Silhara, who of course guesses what her real task is. Marise gets to know the inhabitants of Neith better and better: the powerful master who clawed his way up from the gutters, Gurn, the mute giant, whose tongue has been cut out, Gael the shabby, stinky dog (a mage finder).
The relationship between hero and heroine is slow to build. There is no instant: set eyes on the heroine, wham bam “you are Mine” growling and then they have sex every other page. I also loved that the heroine was a plain girl with an enticing speaking voice (but a terrible singer). She didn’t get the make over that changed her into a beauty uncompared but Silhara saw beauty in her – and not only her Gift which has to be coaxed forward. The Gift appears when Martise and Silhara fight a soul eater – my eyes were glued to the pages.
In the end Martise and Silhara have to combine forces to kill a God whose Avatar reborn Silhara is. This scene was very well done as well and the end is most satisfying. I wouldn’t mind reading more books set in this world.

Entreat Me has the Beauty and Beast –Theme front and center in a very captivating way. I don’t want to elaborate on this book as well in case you might get bored. But I also highly recommend it.

I would also advise you to check out Grace Draven’s website. She has a serial story up on her Blog – “Radiance” - which she continues every week and I seriously consider printing the parts because these short chapters tell a completely unique story in my opinion.

I would also like to call your attention to the beginning of the second “Clean Sweep” book on Ilona Andrew’s website. It’s called “Sweep in Peace” and the beginning was very promising.

Last but not least I would like you to pay attention to Shelley Laurenston’s new book “Bite Me” which is published this very day.

So I wish you all a good time with all the new books that are going to fascinate you this coming month.

Aurian: Thanks for the recommendation Karin! I am happy that Ilona Andrews has started writing the next Sweep book. And I am confident that Maia will recommend the new Shelly Laurenston in her next recommendations post as well : ) There is a reason we are book friends after all ;) I do love the cover of Master of Crows very much.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian