It has been a while since my last Nalini Singh novel … 14 months and 25 days if one were inclined to be precise. So, when I managed to obtain a copy of her new series debut, I decided to catch up on the Psy Changeling world.

Naturally, it was a joy to relive the series by rereading the previous instalments before arriving at Mine to Possess. This time round, the focus is on Clay Bennet and Talin McKade, a friend from his past who survived a violent, abusive and love-starved childhood with him and whom, he had been told, died more than 15 years ago. Talin’s human heritage hides a secret gift that could be Psy in its mysterious origin, but was causing Talin’s health to deteriorate.

Her appearance on the scene after missing for so long served as the catalyst for a lot of the action in this book, and the kids she was guardian to provided the missing link to a growing crime that the clan had uncovered in book 3 which clued them in on the bigger picture of a quiet rebellion that’s taking place amongst the Psy.

I am 2 days late for this month’s TBR Challenge theme – SFR, fantasy, urban fantasy or paranormal – which is right up my alley, as I’ve been able to finish reading a couple of fantasy series that I’ve been following.

The first of these was The Princess of the Sword by Lynn Kurland, the last book on the Nine Kingdoms series which I’ve been following.  And what a satisfactory finale it was, peppered with Ms Kurland’s typical light humour and chaste approach to the romance angle.  For the uninitiated, here’s a summary of this instalment:

Morgan of Melksham, an avowed magic hater, can no longer deny the magic within her veins when she learns of her true heritage. Morgan’s father unleashed a well of evil, and it’s up to her to cap it. Archmage Prince Miach is looking for the spells to complete their task, but retrieving them poses its own set of dangers. Capping the well is only the first problem, for the evil mage Lothar has plans for total domination.

As you can imagine, there were a few mini challenges to overcome before the two protagonists meet with the arch villain, and what a confrontation it was.  This book is an adventure all on its own, though not as taxing to comprehend as other books on wizardry and mages.  Great, light hearted romantic Fantasy reading.

IMB rating: 5.0

Here are another two long over due book reviews, this time, from two Fantasy writers – Sarah Zettel and Shana Abe.

Ever since I picked up Sarah Zettel’s first book in her Paths to Camelot series, I have grown to admire her talent in creating tales of honour, romance and chivalry, set in the evocative time of. King Arthur, and which are not only imaginative and well written, but also engaging and compelling.

The incredibly rich tapestry of magic, intrigue, politics, betrayal, self-doubt, forgiveness, redemption and of course, love woven into the plot makes for an engrossing afternoon of reading. This last book, Camelot’s Blood, is by far my absolute favourite and the best of the series, IMO, a sentiment shared by the Golden-tongued Knight.

A marvelous finale to the series, this book is Agravain’s story. The least known of Lot’s son, yet most misunderstood and troubled of the four brothers, whose moods and acerbic wit did not exactly endear him to the ladies in court, this strong, silent knight has surprising depths that few have the opportunity to know. So, imagine his surprise when Laurel Carnbrea, whose heritage and lineage means she could have far better suitors than him, should deign to marry him.

But the joy of their marriage and their wedding night is interrupted by his father’s imminent death, and as the pair breaks with Arthur to return to a bleak place that has never shaken off the dark magic of Morgaine, evil and betrayal seems to dog their every step.

I think if ever Kylie Chan were to try writing another genre, she would excel at writing suspense.

For that’s what she’s been doing with her three novels in the Dark Heavens trilogy.  Just when you were all psyched up for an ending that will see all evil vanquished and Emma Donahoe and John finally settling down to set up hose, some big unknown badass villain would do something to twist the story and spoil the peaceful, never mind HEA for I think that’ll be a long way coming for the pair of demon butt kicking kung-fu masters.

I’ve got to admit, Blue Dragon was even more melodramatic, convoluted and action packed than its two predecessors, with an even more surprising twist in the end. You have to hand it to Ms Chan for weaving the sentimental angst and complicated combination of honour, integrity and selfless love so prevalent in Asian pugilistic novels into this epic fantasy series that has found a niche audience amongst readers over the world.

There is no doubt in my mind that Neil Gaiman is a true blue romantic at heart. Just read his fantasy work Stardust, which was adapted into a movie starring Claire Danes, Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, and which I simply had to watch, and you’ll surely agree with me.

Let’s talk about the book first, since I like it slightly more than the movie, which I watched just before reading the book. The story revolves round a young man Tristan Thorn, who set off on a quest to fetch a fallen star to win the hand of the town beauty. His quest took him into the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall from which his tiny village took its name where he encountered strange things, magical creatures, witches and other wondrous things that belong in Faerie. Along the way, Tristan uncovered the truth of his parentage, found his heart’s desire and learnt the meaning of true love.

I took to Mr Gaiman’s imaginative story-telling right away. This is the Brother Grimms for grown-ups, and living up to the tradition of the fantasy genre, the realistic yet poetically tragic ending was more palatable to me than the pat happily-ever-after curtain closure the movie attempted to conjure. I mean, the heroine is immortal, but the hero isn’t. Some of Gaiman’s wry humour wasn’t moved to the big screen.

Right after reading these two books, I’ve this weird sense of déjà vu. The story arc itself has strong biblical undertones to it, what with the Armageddon-like final battle, the rebirth, the blood sacrifice … it was as if I was reading something meant for heavier reading.

But there’s one theme that’s kind of common with other fantasy epics I’ve read, and that’s the topic of incest. I don’t know about you, but I noticed that this seems to be a recurring subplot in quite a number of authors’ works … Melanie Rawn, MZB comes to mind. I’m digressing, however, so let me get back on the review track and introduce these two Sara Douglass gems properly.

Pilgrim and Crusader bring Sara Douglass’ epic fantasy series centred on three diverse races to a climactic ending. Pilgrim traces the journey of the TimeKeepers across the land of Tencendor and bears witness to the carnage they spread as they raced to resurrect Qeteb; while Crusader deals with Drago’s quest to reclaim his true heritage as Starson and the crusader destined to battle the evil Qeteb in a bid to save Tencendor.