Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison

 

Million Dollar Demon by Kim Harrison - 464 pages
The Hollows: Book 15

There's a new sheriff in town (new master vampire Constance) and she wants Rachel gone yesterday.   Constance takes on all of Rachel's magical allies in her quest to take over the power structure of Cincinnati.   Rachel has to reach deep inside herself to see if she has the strength to step up or if she needs to step aside to save those precious to her.  

This is another fun entry into a long running series with great world building and strong well rounded characters that are like returning to old friends every time a new book comes out.  Looking forward to the next one.  

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig - 234 pages

Nikolas is determined to find his father.  His father left to discover proof that elves exist by traveling to Elfhelm.  But he's been gone too long.  Nikolas must journey north to find his father. 

I've been wanting to read this book the past several years around the holidays, but it's always been checked out.  So this year, I made sure to grab it early.  I listened to it on audio.  It was narrated perfectly by Stephen Fry.  I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to kids and families looking for a good Christmas book to get them in the mood for the holidays.

The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett

The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett - 288 pages

Well, here we are at the end.  There's a lot to say about this book, and not a lot; it's the last Discworld novel, it's the last adventure, it's a compass that shows bits and pieces of where the stories of Discworld would have headed if Pratchett had more time to tell us.

The upshot of the story itself is that Tiffany inherits a legacy and consequently, a problem with the elves (a problem not so dissimilar to the one that started her adventures in witching).  But I think the bigger story here is the story of the book itself: while the plot holds together, it's clear in this book more than the others that Pratchett ran out of time to finish it.  What he wrote about seemed to weigh heavily on him both within the context of the novel and the context of his personal struggle (the story of Esme's last day, and the aftermath, for example) and it was written through the filter of an illness that dulled some of Pratchett's stylistic sparkle on the page.  At the end of the book is a brief explanation: some portions of the story were written a few years prior to publication, but some were left to the end and didn't have the luxury of Pratchett's usual comb through to bring the details into focus.  It shows.  It shows in the less lively attitudes of the Feegles, and the sink of Gytha Ogg into cronehood.  It shows in the brevity of what's shared, and in the tone and delivery of a story that had more to say than what was said.  It shows in the nods to all the major players on the Disc, all the little loose ends tied up.  Pratchett knew this would be his last published novel, and this was the goodbye he could give us.

How much of that impression was colored by my own sadness at reading the last novel by a writer whose books were milestone reading throughout my formative years?  He wrapped it up so nicely for us, writing a story of passing and legacy and hope for more adventures in the future, that I'm not sure it really matters.  He left us with the impression that life, whether here or on the Disc, will carry on, and we're better for having shared the adventure.

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

The Shepherd's Crown: A Tiffany Aching Adventure by Terry Pratchett --- 276 pages

So this is it: the final Discworld novel by the late, lamented Sir Terry Pratchett.

Fittingly, it is a book about growing up and growing old. About saying goodbye and going on. Like Tolkien, like all the great writers of fantasy, Terry Pratchett did not merely invent his world. He opened the way into a world that was always there, waiting to be explored. Thank you, Sir Terry, for bringing us to that place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.

The Shepherd's Crown is the fifth book in the Tiffany Aching YA series, which also includes: The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight.

Sir Terry Pratchett OBE, was the auhtor of more than seventy books, including the international best-selling Discworld fantasy series. His novels have been adapted for the stage and film, and he was the winner of multiple awards, including the Carnegie Medal. Sir Terry was diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy (early-onset Alzheimer's) in 2007. In January 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his services to literature.  He continued to write until the summer of 2014 when he finished The Shepherd's Crown. He died in March 2015 at the age of 66, at his home in England.

Click HERE  to read a review of The Shepherd's Crown. (Warning: Spoiler Alert)

Cleick HERE to read a review and an appreciation of Terry Pratchett by author A.S. Byatt. (Warning: Spoiler Alert)

Kiss and Spell by Shanna Swendson

Kiss and Spell by Shanna Swendson - 300 pages
An Enchanted Inc. Novel #7

Katie is just getting used to having magic when she and Owen are caught up in the Elf Lord's latest plot to take control of the magical world.  This time their sent to another dimension where they have forgotten everything about their former lives.  In fact, it almost seems as if Katie is in a romantic movie -- complete with its own soundtrack.

As of this time, the author claims this is the final book in the Enchanted Inc series.  I liked the book as a part of the series.  However, I was disappointed with it as a finale.  The ending and final relationships seemed tacked on to make it "happy" enough for the final ending of the series.  If you left off the final chapter, it was a great addition to the series with an interesting plot and quite a bit more character development than had been in the last few books.

MSCHMITT--- Who will help Santa This Year? Jerry Pallotta 30

MSCHMITT--- Who will help Santa This Year? Jerry Pallotta 30

When Santa's job gets too big he goes looking for helpers. He tries fairies but they get glitter everywhere! Mermaids get everything wet and finally along came the elves. Santa finds that the elves are hardworking so he decides that they are the best fit for his workshop.

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, 320 pages
Book One of the Shadow Grail Series

When Spirit is left as the sole survivor from a terrible car accident with her family, she finds herself whisked away to a life of secrets and privilege at Oakhurst Academy. Spirit learns that she is a "Legacy" -- A child of two previous Oakhurst Academy alumnis ... and a mage. It's hard for Spirit to believe as none of her magical powers have manifested themselves and her parents have never shared about their life. However, with friends that are fire, earth, air and water mages, it's hard to deny that there is magic in the world. No one at Oakhurst has a family. They are all orphans with  parents, siblings and family lost in "accidents." So when a few students go missing, no one seems to care enough to find out what happened. It takes Spirit and four trusted friends to discover the sinister truth behind the disappearances ... but will the answers they seek lead to their deaths? Read the book to find out.