Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories is exactly what it says on the cover--a collection of rich and strange stories that all, in some way, have to do with the theme of steampunk. When I first heard of this book, I was instantly intrigued. Writing a steampunk novel is already tough work, setting the scene and all, but imagining fourteen short stories that all would create unique steampunk worlds in just a few pages was beyond me. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to read and review this book!
In My Boyfriend is a Monster, by Dan Jolley, Staci Glass and her best friend, Faith, join three wannabe witches in a magical ceremony at a history exhibit. A shriveled up Incan mummy goes missing only to have an Incan prince appear. It seems that the ceremony had apparently risen the dead, and with it, the secrets to magic that the witches wanted.
Following the inner thoughts of Lily Hannock, Deep Betrayal, the sequel to Anne Greenwood Brown's Lies Beneath, is a dark and twisted tale of mermaids like you have never laid your eyes on before. Lily imagined a semi-normal life after Calder's sister is no longer out for blood, but when she reveals her father's true merman self, she is stuck ashore while her father and the merman she has come to love roam the deep recesses of Lake Superior.
The Scorpions of Zahir by Christine Brodien-Jones chronicles 11-year old Zagora Pym as she traverses the Sahara, a milieu scuttling with scorpions, raging with desert warriors, and surging with a centuries-old clash between good and evil.
Ruby was a normal girl.........Then her father was murdered. She then went in search of her grandma who informed her that she came from a long line of witches. Her life is turned into days of learning of powers, tracking down an evil group of warlocks, and the boy of her dreams.
When treasure is thought to be located in a usually boring coastal town in California, thousands of treasure hunters gather. They're all determined to find the treasure, but none of them want it more than four 7th graders. Will, Mikey, Susan and Evelyn know that they can find the treasure by each using their separate skills. But the treasure is hidden well, and the kids are up against a lot of grown-ups with all kinds of fancy gadgets.
Joy has had some serious changes happen in her life throughout the past year, but what happens at the Carousel Dance Club completely turns her world upside down. It all starts when Joy sees a boy with pitch black eyes. Instead of dancing with her like Joy expects, he tries to cut out her eye. However, the boy, Ink, accidentally marks her as his lehman, his lover, confidant, etc., bringing Joy into a magical and dangerous world full of banshees, fairies, and evil spirits. Now Joy and Ink have to keep up their ruse or risk being killed.
In the second installment, Mina has made a new friend called Dani and has become more confident in herself, both mentally and physically as she is now living her dream: studying architecture at university and following in her father’s footsteps. However, not everything is as peaceful as it seems, because there is a strange person on the university campus that has set his sights on her. Luckily, Jaden is still the one for her, always swooping in at the right moment to save her.
Melanie thought that she was headed for success after completing graduate school, but her dreams of steady employment were dashed in the post 9/11 economy. Now 28 years old, she works as a temp in Chicago- when she can even find a temp position. Her bills go unpaid, her utilities are being shut off, and her crazy ex-boyfriend just won't leave her alone.
ReGAURDing GRACE by Karen A. Leppert is an exciting love story with a twist. Grace may seem like a normal girl, but there is more than meets the eye. She is a host, she has three "alter egos" with superhuman abilities, her secret seems to be safe until Jack Elliott appears. He is part of a society of hosts and was assigned to help integrate Grace, but he is hiding a connection that goes deeper than she could ever imagine. But things are about to get dangerous when one of her alters starts secretly conspiring with an enemy after Jack's life and Grace's powers.
