Gods of Jade and Shadow is an exquisite wonder of a novel. Set in 1920s Mexico, Casiopea Tun accidentally frees the Mayan god of death from his prison when she unlocks a mysterious box in her grandfather’s room. Hun-Kamé’s power is limited until he recovers his missing jade necklace and missing body parts: his left eye, ear, and index finger. Unfortunately for Casiopea, a shard entered her body when she freed Hun-Kamé, tying them inseparably. … Continue reading Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia →
Grave Phantoms is the latest book in Jenn Bennett’s “Roaring Twenties” paranormal series about the Magnusson family in San Francisco. I love this series for the ambiance and the heroines, although I’ve disliked the heroes in previous books (they tend to be morally murky). This time, Bo, a Chinese American man who works for the family, is the hero and it’s by far my favorite installment in the series. The Magnusson family is headed by … Continue reading Grave Phantoms by Jenn Bennett →
Speakeasy Dead is being marketed as a romantic comedy. It has all the ingredients to be a great screwball 1920’s comedy, including bootleggers, movie stars, fabulous clothes, and zombies. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t very sympathetic or interesting, and the romance is almost non-existent. It’s a fairly entertaining light read, but not terribly engrossing and certainly not romantic. Screwball comedies thrive on complication, and one thing this book does very well is create a classic plot … Continue reading Speakeasy Dead by Vicky Loebel →
