Rosemary and Rue

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

This was completely an impulse grab. I was about to finish a book at work and was going to need something to read on the train ride home. I'm very happy with this grab.

This is a urban fantasy book in every sense of this sub genre of the sci-fi world. You have every type of fairy you could dream of living in the world of San Francisco and hiding themselves very well while doing it. The main character is October, half fay half human investigator who is trying to make do in a world she's not completely stable in. The story is complex and complimentary to itself, giving the reader everything they want from the world of fay and then some.

I haven't been this pleased with a random pick off the shelf in forever. There is excitement, magic, mystery, humor, and fairies fairies fairies. This type of fantasy hidden so well within the real world of San Francisco makes it feel real and so much easier to follow. So many urban fantasies are falling short of the mark now because they're the in thing, but this book doesn't disappoint and leaves you waiting for more. The next book is coming out in October (ha ha same as the main character's name see humor) and I'm anticipating it the way I used to wait for Anita Blakes.

Across the Face of the World

Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick

Another long book that is just the start of a series. I've picked it up and put it down on several occasions on my many trips to Borders. Seeing that I'm currently on a long book trip I decided to finally pick it up for good.

The story follows the flight of a family from safety as the mother and father are kidnapped and the children are left for dead. The children manage to find help and embark on a journey to rescue their parents and save the world as they know it from a mounting invasion.

I'm trying not to give too much away since the story arc, while complex, has a simple plot. I do like the book and have picked up the next two in the series. The author has a great grasp on his world and makes the reader aware of this fact. The narrative style is 3rd person omniscient which is where my main complaint comes in. Yes, I know that we are basically riding with god who knows all but that shouldn't mean that switching from one character to the next should be as jarring as Kirkpatrick makes it. You move from the thoughts of one character to the next and I often found myself having to reread sections to figure out who's head I was in.

My other problem stems from the fact that while there are a series of maps at the front of the book, I managed to have no clue where the characters were most of the time. They move quickly from one place to the next on this journey, but I had a hard time keeping up with them on the maps. What is the point of having highly detailed maps for your readers if they can't keep up with the character's movements?

Alright enough ranting. Overall, it's a good read and goes quickly. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a  long journey with a lot of movement and more to read after you're done.