Karen Marie Moning's Shadowfever Novel

I just finished Karen Marie Moning's Shadowfever, the last of the Fae series. For those who think of her as a romance novelist, this one has the ingredients with girl meets guy but they antagonize each other with banter and sexual tension. BUT, it is also a fantasy with the Seelie and Unseelie faeries and the main character, MacKayla who travels to Dublin, Ireland to find her sister's killer only to find out that she is a sidhe-seer.   A sidhe-seer can see through the illusions of the Fae.  There are many who want to kill her or use her abilities to find a book, the Sinsar Dubh, a book of dark powers that in the wrong hands could destroy our world and the world of the Fae.  Jericho Barrons, a bookstore owner who is also something else which you find out in the last book of the series, wants the book for his own reasons and then there's a V'lane, a Fae who also wants the book to stop all the Unseelie from crossing the border to our world or so he saids.  The border is fraying and some of the monsters are coming into Dublin hungry. Mac will be tested throughout the series as to whether she has enough strength to see this to the end without getting killed. 

Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mystery Series

Juliet Blackwell has a fantasy mystery series about a witch, Lily Ivory who owns a vintage clothing store Aunt Cora's Closet in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. It is a typical mystery story where the heroine of the story accidentally gets mixed up with a murder somehow and in the ends solves it but this series of Juliet Blackwell is funny, has interesting characters, and it's set in the most wonderful city, San Francisco.  The books very easy to read, they flow easily from action to dialog and the character development is believable.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries and with a touch a witchery.  

Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L Chalker

I first time I read this book was a few years after it was published.  My husband had read the book and suggested I read it.  At the time, I was devouring science fiction books and was interested in authors I had never read before.
Midnight at the Well of Souls is a great sci-fi fantasy story that has action, adventure, and that modern dilemma of good and bad.  The future of mankind is still in the hands of the very powerful who seem to know what is good for the masses. I hadn't re-read this book in many years and it amazes me on what I have forgotten. My favorite character is Nathan Brazil the freighter pilot who has lived for thousands of years but who I feel wants to be able to die. 
It's a great story on how the corrupt and the downtrodden are able to change their lives, some get a new chance while others get what we think they deserve. The Well of Souls(a giant computer located within a planet) changes people into beings it thinks will enable them to survive. It takes their attributes and tosses them into bizarre situations.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading science fiction from the 1980's.

True Blood Season 4, RECAP past 3 episodes

Hi all, I haven't been posting about True Blood in a few weeks but I thought I'd lump the last 3episodes together.
Sookie has Eric as a house guest, and for those who haven't read the book, they eventually hook up. She sees him as a regular guy and starts to fall for Eric's new persona.  Losing his memory has changed Eric from ruthless, blood sucker to nice caring vamp.
Bill, Louisiana's King tries to truly kill Eric, for his misdeeds but changes his mind while in the process of staking him.  Eric has changed and is in love with Sookie which Bill can sympathize.
Marnie becomes Antonia, a witch that was cursed the vampire to meet the sun while being burned at the stake, 400 hundred years ago. Antonia wants revenge for her death and for the deaths of others by the vampires. You definitely have sympathies for her.  We don't get that in the books where the two witches who take Eric's memory are also weres that want power. Since in the book we see only through Sookie's eyes we don't know the true depths of the vampires.   Bill had found out that Eric was staying at Sookie's through a slip of the tongue from Pam and that the coven stole Eric's memories. Marnie is captured by Bill's guards and imprisoned at the King's house. She calls to her the spirit that Marnie has been channeling.  Antonia comes to her and takes over her body and through her necromancy, she escapes. Marnie gets her coven together with Tara who has had a bad encounter with Pam.  Tara, Lafayette, and Jesus are on Pam's hit list for being part of her body rotting.  Antonia recruits Marnie's coven to join in a spell to protect them from the vampires unbeknowst to them, she is casting a spell to wake the vamps up in the daylight and have them meet the sun.
Tara's girlfriend from New Orleans arrive at Lafayette's house, she had discovered letters addressed to Tara. She knows her as Toni. While they are together sorting their relationship, Pam meets up with them at Merlotte's.  She threatens them both with bodily harm when they are saved by some people who are taking pictures of them.  It's against the vampire law to be on camera killing, sucking or anything harmful towards a human.  They will be put to true death.
Sam's brother Tommy after killing his parents turns into to Sam and has a good time with his new body, like hooking up with Sam's girlfriend, Luna, another shape shifter.  He then kicks her out when his body rejects the change and Sam finds him unconscious on the floor of his trailer.
Later Sam finds out what Tommy did when Luna won't give him the time of day and confronts her at the school she teaches. He then kicks Tommy out of his life. Sam is such a hypocrite and two face liar with himself, he couldn't see the road Tommy is heading.  I would keep my enemies close instead of out of sight but then it wouldn't be a good story.
Jason finds out that he won't be changing into a were-panther, it's genetic not passed on by being bitten. When he escapes Hotshots he is rescued by Jessica and Hoyt.  Jessica gives Jason some of her blood to speed recovery but now Jason has a bond with her.  He dreams of her and of Hoyt which is unsettling to poor Jason.
Sheriff Andy Bellefleur is a mess with his addiction to V. All he can think about is his next hit. His character is so boring, they need to change him again. His sister Portia finds out she is distantly related to Bill who does a glamour on her that sends her screaming into the night. Portia was a peripheral character at best in the books anyway.
Alcide is visited by the pack leader of Shreveport. Alcide tells him strongly that he doesn't want to join a pack since his last pack was under vampire influence.  Later Alcide walks in his house to find the pack leader talking to Debbie, his live-in girlfriend.  I noticed that they lighted Debbie's hair this season, I wonder if it's the TV show's attempt to reveal her insecurity of a very blond Sookie.  Alcide is furious but relented and joins the new pack.  It's full moon and their initiation into the pack is being held in the forest, they run into Sookie who is chasing after Jason who at this time thinks he will change into a panther. They reassure her that Jason will not change and they part ways.  Afterwards Alcide and Debbie walked into the woods to talk and find Sookie and Eric having butt naked sex.  While having sex at home, Debbie confronts Alcide about his feelings for Sookie. He denies having anything but friendship towards her.  In the book, he finds her attractive but because she isn't a were he can't think of dating her.  Species-ism against humans.
The last episode ends with all the vampires being ordered to chain themselves with silver so to hinder their response to the covens call.  Jessica breaks the silver chains and crawls to the door toward the sun while Jason hears her through their bond and rushes to Bill's to save the day.  Last scene is Jessica opening the door while Jason had been stopped by a guard outside. Will he have time to save Jessica, of course, she is a popular character and isn't going to be killed off soon.

True Blood Season 4 episode 3 RECAP

Another great episode with Sookie Stackhouse who has a house guest, Eric Northman.  He has amnesia from the witches.  The hidyhole that Eric built will now be used to hide him from his enemies.  The faerie blood causes him to wonder what she is.  He loves the way she smells. The faerie blood the reason why she doesn't get hooked on Vamp blood like the rest of the populace. King Bill gave true death to a vamp who was caught sucking blood on camera. Bill and Portia have a business relationship that she wants to make it with benefits, like sex.  Jessica confesses to Hoyt about feeding on another guy at Fangtasia and has a fight then she does the unthinkable and glamours Hoyt into forgetting it happened.
Tara, Lafayette, and Jesus are afraid of Eric's wrath. 
Jason is still captive of the hotshot clan of were-panthers. He becomes a brood mare for the clan. Crystal and Felton want him to turn so to pregnant all the women of the clan.  They need fresh blood to breed true. Crystal is really crazy just like Felton.
Poor Andy is pathetic, hooked on V and behaving like a real ass-hole. He gets on Sam's case for catching him after downing some V.
Sookie visits Alcide for a favor in looking after Eric for her and finds our he's back with Debbie who suppose to have changed.  She cleaned up but there is a reason for bring her back.  In the book, Debbie is jealous of Sookie and tries to kill her but Sookie does kill her with Eric's help. Alcide still has feeling for her even if in a brotherly way.
Tommy is living with Hoyt's mother.  Tommy has issues with being dishonest but I think he's a product of his terrible life with his real parents.  Tommy wants to con Maxine to sell her house because of natural gas on her property.  Tommy and Sam have relationship problems.
Tara asks Sookie to talk to Eric about Lafayette.  Sam and Tara make peace with a shot of Tequila while Lafayette goes to Fangtasia.  Tara and Jesus rescue Lafayette from Pam with a gun with wooden bullets. Pam gives them 24 hours to find Eric and change the spell.
Marnie tries to channel the witch from the past.  She doesn't see how dangerous this can be but see the power this spirit gives her.

Claudine tries to take Sookie back to faerie but Eric grabs her and sucks her dry.  Is this the real Claudine or a glamoured faerie?  Claudine was shut in Faerie when the Queen closed the borders.
 

True Blood Season 4 episode 2 RECAP

Hey, all you fang bangers who love True Blood, wasn't that episode great.  It has taken 2 episodes for background information to get to the 4th book.
Jason is being held captive by Crystal and Felton.  They are trying to turn Jason into a were-panther so Crystal can get pregnant.  Andy Bellefleur has scored some V from the Hotshot which is a small were community unbeknown to the rest of Bon Temps.  Sookie is still upset with Eric who bought her house and wanting possession of her. Tara is back from New Orleans to visit Sookie and Lafayette.  Lafayette is in the witch coven with boyfriend, Jesus Velasquez.  The coven leader wants to use their powers on a human. That's when Eric is told by King Bill to go over to the coven and break it up.  We find out how Bill was able to defeat Queen Sophie-Anne, he had help from Nan, PR vampire.  As Eric burst into the meeting of the witches, Marnie the leader of the coven starts to chant and the coven reluctantly gather with held hands.  She does a spell on Eric who later is seen walking half naked down the streets of Bon Temps when Sookie drives by him.  Eric has lost his memory.  Hoyt is beaten by pickers against vampires at Fangtasia. Later he has a fight with Jessica over her wanting to use her vamp blood to help speed up recovery.  She drives to Fangtasia than hooks up with a fangbanger.  She is caught with the guy in the bathroom by Sookie. Sookie has been waiting for Eric. 

Yes, fans I think the next episodes will have the fourth book in them. Will Sookie fall for amnesia Eric like in the book? Will the weres fight with the vampires against the Necromancing witch coven?  This looks to be another great season on True Blood.

True Blood Season 4 episode 1 RECAP

I couldn't wait for the new season of HBO True Blood but I'm on the fence if I liked it or not.  First it was totally not the Charlaine Harris 4th novel, Dead to the World.  It starts out with Sookie Stackhouse in Faerie and she meets up with her grandfather Earl who thinks it's only been a few days when in reality, he's been in Faerie for 20 years! She comes back to Bon Temps and it's been a year!
Where was Eric Northman running naked by the side of the rode when Sookie rescues him and realizes he has amnesia? I would have loved to see Alexander Skarsgard running naked, wouldn't you?
I have a feeling that this season will be more unlike the books than the previous ones.
Bill is now King of Louisiana territory after killing the queen,Sophie-Anne.  Jason is a full fledged Deputy Sheriff, Andy Bellefleur is hooked on V, Tara is now boxing "Box Eater" with an assumed name "Toni", Eric bought Sookies house while she was gone in Faerie because he knew she was still alive and wanted nothing to stand in his way of her (she now can't rescind his welcome to her house), and Lafayette is in a witch coven with some weird witches, oh and good old Sam now hangs out with fellow shifters to curb his anger.
All is so different but I have to think of it as a new series not one that mirrors the Charlaine Harris books.