Review: Wonderland: An Anthology

From the greatest names in fantasy and horror comes an anthology of stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Join Alice as she is thrown into the whirlwind of Wonderland

Within these pages you'll find myriad approaches to Alice, from horror to historical, taking us from the nightmarish reaches of the imagination to tales that will shock, surprise and tug on the heart-strings. So, it's time now to go down the rabbit hole, or through the looking-glass or… But no, wait. By picking up this book and starting to read it you're already there, can't you see?

Brand-new works from the best in fantastical fiction

M.R. CAREY
MARK CHADBOURN
GENEVIEVE COGMAN
JONATHAN GREEN
ALISON LITTLEWOOD
JAMES LOVEGROVE
L.L. McKINNEY
GEORGE MANN
JULIET MARILLIER
LAURA MAURO
CAT RAMBO
LILITH SAINTCROW
CAVAN SCOTT
ROBERT SHEARMAN
ANGELA SLATTER
CATRIONA WARD
JANE YOLEN
RIO YOUERS

Review:
An anthology of stories inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland already jumps straight to the top of my wish list but then you tell me it includes stories from authors like Juliet Marillier & L.L. McKinney and I just get even more excited about it! This book includes a collection of 17 short stories and 2 poems that were all inspired by Alice and her adventures and written by some very well known writers: Jane Yolen, Robert Shearman, M.R. Carey, Genevieve Cogman, Cavan Scott, Juliet Marillier, Jonathan Green, George Mann, Angela Slatter, Rio Youers, Catriona Ward, Laura Mauro, L.L. McKinney, James Lovegrove, Lilith Saintcrow, Alison Littlewood, Cat Rambo and Mark Chadbourn.

All of these stories are linked to Alice in different ways, be it through a familiar character: Alice herself, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter or perhaps even the Cheshire Cat; or a familiar place: falling down a rabbit hole or stepping through a looking glass maybe. Perhaps the link is just a throwaway phrase or a chance to visit a part of Wonderland that you've never explored before. I love how different each of the stories are, some are spooky, others are introspective but most of them are as weird as the tales they're based on.

As with any anthology there were some stories I loved and a few that didn't resonate quite so well but overall I thought the quality of the stories was very high and a few particular highlights were The White Queen's Pawn by Genevieve Cogman, Dream Girl by Cavan Scott, Good Dog, Alice! by Juliet Marillier (my favourite of the collection), The Hunting of the Jabberwock by Jonathan Green and Smoke 'em if You Got 'em by Angela Slatter.

This is the perfect collection for Alice in Wonderland fans, there really is something for everyone and it's a great book for dipping in and out of when you want something quick to read.

Source: Received from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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Don't forget to check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour:

Review: High Stakes - Erin McCarthy

He's a bloodsucking freak of nature. But, unlike other politicians, Ethan Carrick is actually a nice guy. Not to mention a very hot, wealthy, casino-owning vampire. It's an election year for vampires, which means he'll first have to escape his opponent's hit men. Then he'll have to find a suitable First Lady, preferably here in Vegas.

Brittany Baldizzi fits the bill. She's smart, pretty- and sweeter than a glass of diabetic O-Negative. But her protective sister Alexis steps in with a message for Ethan: Bite me. It's then that he realizes it's the sexy, no-nonsense Alexis who raises his stake. And as much as she denies it, Alexis wouldn't mind a romp in the coffin with him. But can a mere mortal, even one who risks her life for him, make a centuries-old, womanizing vampire feel something entirely new?

Vegas Vampires Series:
High Stakes
Bit the Jackpot
Bled Dry
Sucker Bet
Russian Roulette (Novella in the First Blood Anthology)
Out of the Light, Into the Shadows (Anthology containing two stories in the Vegas Vampires series: Deal or No Deal and Undead Man's Hand)

Visit Erin McCarthy's website for more information

Review:
Ethan may be the current head of the Vampire Council but he's up for reelection and unless he does something about his image he may not be reelected. So when his advisors recommend he chooses a woman and settle down he reluctantly agrees. Brittany is perfect, she's sweet, kind and she also happens to be a half-vampire, not that she knows it. It's an easy thing for Ethan to use mind control to convince her to move into his casino hotel with him and even if he's not actually attracted to her at least she'll be a popular choice with the rest of the vampires.

When Alexis realises her sister has just up and left her entire life behind to move in with a man she just met she knows something is fishy about the whole thing. She storms into the casino determined to rescue her sister but finds Brittany very reluctant to actually be rescued. Ethan takes one look at Alexis and realises he's chosen the wrong sister but now he's got to figure out a way to convince Alexis to give him a chance.

High Stakes is that kind of light and fluffy read that is perfect for when you want a book that doesn't make you think too hard. If you're looking for something funny that doesn't take itself too seriously then this will probably hit the spot perfectly but I don't think it was quite what I was looking for. I'm all for a silly read when I'm in the right mood but there were times when this crossed from being chuckle out loud funny into ridiculous roll your eyes territory. I get that Brittany was supposed to be ditzy but she was so utterly stupid that it was impossible to believe someone that dumb could survive into adulthood. Seriously that girl would have been run over by a bus while chasing a butterfly in her teens.

Alexis on the other hand is supposed to be the smart sister, she's apparently a lawyer but I had trouble believing that from the way she behaved most of the time. I didn't really feel the chemistry between her and Ethan which meant the insta-love romance was totally lost on me and to be honest I have very little interest in continuing the series. It wasn't all bad and there were some funny moments, particularly in the beginning, but this definitely wouldn't be my top recommendation even for a fluffy bite of brain candy.

Source: Borrowed from a friend

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StoryTourist: London Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour

Walk in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes with this free app

Swedish start-up StoryTourist is currently launching an app where the user can step inside Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic short story “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”.  “StoryTourist creates self-guided walking tours based on famous stories, to make it possible for you to experience them in the very spot where the action happens” says Johanna Forsman, CEO and co- founder of StoryTourist.

Starting this September, Sherlock-fans visiting London will have a digital and flexible option to the traditional guided tours in the Baker Street neighbourhood. Even residents might be tempted to explore their own city in a new way using the app, especially considering that it will be offered for free during its release period.

221B Baker Street

Research within the travel industry shows that experiential travel is on the rise world-wide – tourists wish to explore beyond the traditional tourist traps and to be inspired by the travel destinations they choose. StoryTourist is a new way to travel while also experiencing your favourite books, films and other stories – like solving crime with Sherlock Holmes in London. With the StoryTourist app you step into some of our most beloved stories, to follow in the characters’ footsteps and share their adventures with the help of audio, animations, images and interactive puzzles. This walking tour will tie reality and storytelling together into one immersive experience.

StoryTourist has previously released a Little Mermaid tour in Copenhagen, and Johanna Forsman confirms that together with the digitally guided tour in London this is just the start of a bigger adventure; “StoryTourist has grown quickly through venture capital and support from the Swedish state-run innovation agency, and we have plans for many new exciting fiction tourism experiences”.

The “StoryTourist: Sherlock Holmes” app is available for iPhone in the Apple App store and for Android on Google Play. Both versions will be free to download until the end of October. For more information, please click through to our social media channels and website via the links below.

Website / YouTube / Facebook / Instagram

I received this press release a few days ago and thought it sounded like a really fun idea. This isn't a paid for or sponsored post and I've not had time to test out the app myself yet (although I have downloaded it to try out when I'm in London next!) but I thought I'd share it with my fellow bookworms in case anyone else wants to give it a try.

Review: The Rowan - Anne McCaffrey

The first book in the Tower and the Hive sequence

The Talents were the elite of the Nine Star League. Their gifts were many and varied, ranging from the gently telepathic, to the rare and extremely valued Primes. On the Primes rested the entire economic wealth and communications systems of the civilised worlds. But Primes were scarce - only very rarely was a new one born. And now, on the planet Altair, in a small mining colony on the western mountain range, a new Prime existed, a three-year-old girl - trapped in a giant mud slide that had wiped out the rest of the Rowan mining community. Every Altarian who was even mildly talented could 'hear' the child crying for help, but no one knew where she was buried. Every resource on the planet was centred into finding 'The Rowan' - the new Prime, the first ever to be born on Altair, an exceptionally unique Prime, more talented, more powerful, more agoraphobic, more lonely, than any other Prime yet known in the Nine Star league.

The Tower and the Hive Series:
The Rowan
Damia
Damia's Children
Lyon's Pride
The Tower and the Hive
Get off the Unicorn (Short Story Collection)

Visit Anne McCaffrey's website for more information

Review:
I read quite a few of Anne McCaffrey's Pern books when I was a teenager but I've not read anything of hers in years so I was quite excited to give this series a try when my friend told me it was one of her favourites. I actually read this when I was visiting my friend back in June so I've really left it too long to write a comprehensive review but I did really enjoy the world that the author has created here.

Set in a distant future where humans have colonised planets across the universe some of us, known as The Talents, have developed all kinds of telepathic and other psychic abilities. These powers vary in strength and very few people are considered Primes, those capable of incredible feats. This is the story of The Rowan, the first Prime ever born on the planet Altair. She was born in a small and isolated mining colony and was discovered as a three year old child who was heard by every Talent across the planet telepathically screaming for help when the entire colony was destroyed in a landslide. The Rowan was the only survivor and she was taken in by the Prime living closest to her so that they could start her training young.

This story follows her journey throughout her childhood and into an adult as she learns to use her abilities. I enjoyed her story and watching her grow into a smart and fierce young woman and I really loved seeing her step forward as a leader as she grew in confidence. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing the series and seeing what happens next.

Source: Borrowed from a friend

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Book Trailer: The Deathless Girls - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Today is the release day for The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I only caught wind of this one recently but one look at that blurb and I had to add it to my wish list! I love retellings, especially when they bring something new to the story and I think this will be Dracula like we've never seen it before.

Gothic, intoxicating, feminist and romantic - this is the breathtakingly imagined untold story of the brides of Dracula, by bestselling author Kiran Millwood Hargrave in her much-anticipated YA debut.

They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin.

On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community.

Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts.

They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate...

Visit Kiran Millwood Hargrave's website for more information



Doesn't it sound fabulous?! I'm planning on buying a copy as soon as I can but if you've already had the chance to read it I'd love to check out your review so please leave me a link in the comments!

Review: Salvation in Death - J.D. Robb

Seconds after partaking of wine during a Catholic funeral mass, Father Miguel Flores is dead on the altar. Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained enough potassium cyanide to kill a rhino. And though the East Harlem neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband Roarke, it’s the holiness flying around St. Christobal’s that makes her uneasy.

The autopsy reveals faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo—and evidence of plastic surgery suggesting “Father Flores” may not be the man his parishioners thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that suggest identity theft, gang connections, and a deeply personal act of revenge, she hopes to track down whoever committed this unholy act. Until a second murder—in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers—knocks the whole investigation sideways…

In Death Series:
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Midnight in Death (Novella)
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayal in Death
Interlude in Death (Novella)
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Big Jack (Available in the Remember When Anthology or separately)
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Haunted in Death (Novella)
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Eternity in Death (Novella)
Strangers in Death
Salvation in Death
Ritual in Death (Novella)
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
Missing in Death (Novella)
Fantasy in Death
Indulgence in Death
Possession in Death (Novella)
Treachery in Death
New York to Dallas
Chaos in Death (Novella)
Celebrity in Death
Delusion in Death
Calculated in Death
Thankless in Death
Taken in Death (Novella available in the Mirror, Mirror anthology or separately)
Concealed in Death
Festive in Death
Obsession in Death
Devoted in Death
Wonderment in Death (Novella)
Brotherhood in Death
Apprentice in Death
Echoes in Death
Secrets in Death
Dark in Death
Leverage in Death
Connections in Death
Vendetta in Death
Golden in Death

Visit J.D. Robb's website for more information.

Review:
You'd think it doesn't get much more shocking than a Catholic priest keeling over in the middle of a funeral service after drinking cyanide laced consecrated wine but when Eve starts digging a little deeper into his life things take an even darker turn. It turns out that Father Miguel Flores isn't Father Miguel Flores at all. As far as Eve can figure out someone stole his identity approximately 5 years ago, but why would anyone want to impersonate a priest? What could they possibly have to gain from it and how does it fit in with their murder? These are all questions Eve is trying to answer but then an Evangelical priest is killed in the middle of a live TV sermon and suddenly it looks like she might have a serial killer on her hands.

My love fest with the In Death series is definitely continuing, this story focused a little more on the murders and less on the personal lives of the characters but I didn't mind that. I always enjoy seeing how Eve's mind works and watching her dive into a complex case. She looks at the world differently to most people and puts together clues that most people don't even notice. Peabody has come a long way in her training but it's obvious there's still a lot more that she can learn from her partner. I'm totally invested in this world and the characters now, I love the glimpses we get of people like Mavis and Mira but more than anything I'm 100% here for every single interaction between Eve and Roarke. They're definitely a power couple and I love spending time with them both!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Release Blitz: Promise of Darkness - Bec McMaster

Today we have the release blitz of Promise of Darkness by Bec McMasters! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!

Title: PROMISE OF DARNESS

Author: Bec McMaster

Genre: Paranormal Romance

About Promise of Darkness:

Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them?

In a realm ruled by magic, the ruthless Queen of Thorns is determined to destroy her nemesis, the cursed Prince of Evernight.

With war brewing between the bitter enemies, the prince forces Queen Adaia to uphold an ancient treaty: she will send one of her daughters to his court as a political hostage for three months.

The queen insists it’s the perfect opportunity for Princess Iskvien to end the war before it begins. But one look into Thiago’s smoldering eyes and Vi knows she’s no assassin.

The more secrets she uncovers about the prince and his court, the more she begins to question her mother’s motives.

Who is the true enemy? The dark prince who threatens her heart? Or the ruthless queen who will stop at nothing to destroy him?

And when the curse threatens to shatter both courts, is her heart strong enough to break it?

A fairytale twist inspired by the Hades and Persephone myth.

Get Your Copy Today:

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | Apple Books

Exclusive Excerpt:

I turn.

Shadows melt together, forming into a tall, masked figure that stalks through the crowd as if it doesn’t exist. It’s as if Kato, the god of death, walks among us. But this is no god, slumbering now in the memories of the fae. This male is carved out of hard, heated flesh and practically poured into black leather. Despite my anxiety, I can’t help noticing the breadth of those shoulders and the powerful flex of his thighs.

The fae of mother’s court flee before him like deer scattering before an approaching predator.

Because that’s exactly what he is.

Even I feel it.

Piercing eyes meet mine through the eyeholes of the mask he wears; a feathered raven’s beak cascading over his brow. Though no crown graces his temples, power drips from him, leaving me with no doubt of whom I face.

Thiago, Prince of Evernight.

Lord of Whispers and Lies. Master of Darkness.

Our gazes lock, and I force my spine to straighten. To become steel.

You are an Asturian princess, and you will not yield to the Prince of Evernight.

“Princess,” he says, searching my face with a heated gaze that shivers over my skin like a caress. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

All night, I’m sure.

It’s time to play the game of crowns and prove I can survive anything my mother or the Seelie Alliance can throw at me.

I tip my chin up. “Prince Thiago, you honor us with your presence.”

His gaze drops, the faintest flicker of—is it disappointment?—marring those dangerous eyes. “The pleasure is mine.”

Why, then, do I feel as if I’ve somehow failed some test?

Perhaps he thought I’d be more welcoming.

If so, then he’s a fool.

“I don’t believe pleasure has anything to do with it.”

His eyes sparkle as he lifts my hand to his mouth, his lips ghosting over the back of it. “Yet.”

Oh, so that’s the way he means to play.

I tear my hand free. “Ever.”

“Did your mother not warn you?” I’ve clearly amused him. “I’ve never met a challenge I’ve failed to surmount.”

“But you’ve never met me before.”

“Haven’t I?” Another mysterious smile. “We’re to spend the next three months together. Be careful with your challenges. I always play to win.”

“Ah, but what precisely are we playing for?”

“Hearts, perhaps.”

It steals a laugh from me. Oh, he’s so polished, he’s practically gleaming. “You think to steal my heart?”

“I don’t think that at all. I think you’ll give it to me.”

“Never in a thousand years.”

The prince leans closer. “There you go again, Princess. Opposing me. Daring me. I think I’m going to enjoy the next three months. Very much so.”

Of course, he will. He’s the one with the power. “Perhaps. You might regret them instead.”

“Regret meeting you? Never. Dance with me.”

My temper boils. Time to prove I’m no mere pushover. I press my hand to his chest. “But you didn’t say please.”

“I never say please.”

I’ve heard that about him too—I can see it in the flex of his jaw, as if a part of him yearns to reach out and take my arm. He’s not the sort of male you deny. A warlord, a conqueror, a prince who stole his kingdom from its rightful heirs.

“Sorry. You don’t own me just yet.”

And then I whirl away into the watching crowd, leaving him staring after me.

About Bec McMaster:

I'm a writer. Dreamer. Travel Addict. And enthusiastic-if-not-perfect baker. I'll honestly admit that I don't always follow the recipe, be it cooking, or writing romances. If I'm not sitting in front of the computer, I'm probably plotting my next world trip. Or eating chocolate. Sometimes I run. Because...chocolate. I grew up on a steady diet of 80's fantasy movies like Ladyhawke, Labyrinth and The Princess Bride, and love creating epic, fantasy-based worlds with heroes and heroines who must defeat all the odds to have their HEA. I live in a country town in Australia, with my very own beta hero, Byron; Kobe, a dog who will eat anything (even used teabags); and demanding chickens, Siggy and Lagertha.

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