This novel offers an incredible portrayal of this world and its precarious balance between feminism and misogyny, offering a skilful take on female empowerment and agency with a great pair of main female characters. Title: Razorhurst Author: Justine Larbalestier…
Urban Fantasy
Half-Resurrection Blues is Daniel José Older’s first novel and the start of the Bone Street Rumba series. The writing, the humour, the main character’s deeply felt sense of loneliness and the diversity of the world are praiseworthy. Title: Half-Resurrection…
Smugglivus 2014 Guest Bloggers: Paul and Renee of Fangs for the Fantasy
Welcome to Smugglivus 2014! Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2014, looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2015, and more. Who: Paul…
Our Lady of the Streets: Tom Pollock on “Getting By With a Little Help…”
Howdy! We are super pleased to welcome Tom Pollock back to the blog today to talk about his new release Our Lady of the Streets, the third book in the excellent Skyscraper Throne trilogy and the central friendship in…
Title: Sparrow Hill Road Author: Seanan McGuire Genre: Urban Fantasy, Ghost Stories Publisher: Daw Publication Date: 6 May 2014 Paperback: 432 Pages Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named…
Title: Night Broken Author: Patricia Briggs Genre: Urban Fantasy Publisher: Ace Publication Date: March 2014 Hardcover: 341 Pages An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from…
Title: The Deep Author: Zetta Elliott Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, PoC Publisher: Self-published Publication Date: December 2013 Hardcover: 176 Pages THE DEEP plunges readers into a dangerous, underground world policed by members of The League, a secret group…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus. Today, Thea reviews Antigoddess by Kendare Blake. And Thea enjoys it very much. Go HERE to get the full scoop.…
Title: The Art of Wishing Author: Lindsay Ribar Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Publication Date: March 2013 Hardcover: 314 Pages He can grant her wishes, but only she can save his life. Margo…
Hello everyone and happy Friday! To kick off the long weekend in style, we are thrilled to have Sarah Beth Durst over for a guest post. To celebrate the upcoming release of her new novel, paranormal contemporary young adult…
SFF in Conversation is a new monthly feature on The Book Smugglers in which we invite guests to talk about a variety of topics important to speculative fiction fans, authors, and readers. Our vision is to create a safe…
Today, we’re excited to offer something very cool, in the form of a flash giveaway. If you’re like Thea, you freaking love Kate Daniels. You’ve been waiting anxiously for the newest book in the series, Magic Rises. If this…
Smugglers’ Ponderings: On the Peter Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES. I read (and loved) Rivers of London/Midnight Riot (Gollancz (UK)/Del Rey (US), 2011, 400 pages) the first book in Ben Aaronovitch’s UF series in early 2011 and have been meaning to…
Title: The Shambling Guide to New York City Author: Mur Lafferty Genre: Urban Fantasy Publisher: Orbit Publication date: May 28 2013 Paperback: 368 pages A travel writer takes a job with a shady publishing company in New York, only…
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free rein so they can go wild…
The Dare: Ana reads Nightlife by Rob Thurman / Thea reads Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow
IT’S BACK! The Dare is back! Years ago now, we used to have a regular feature called The Dare (and its sibling, the Guest Dare) in which we dared each other to read books outside of our comfort zone.…
Title: Revel Author: Maurissa Guibord Genre: Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Publication Date: February 2013 Hardcover: 352 Pages There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map. Shrouded in…
Title: The Archived Author: Victoria Schwab Genre: Contemporary, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Hyperion Publication Date: January 2013 Hardcover: 328 Pages Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell,…
Title: Frost Burned Author: Patricia Briggs Genre: Contemporary, Urban Fantasy Publisher: Ace Publication Date: March 2013 Hardcover: 342 Pages Mercy Thompson returns in the seventh novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone…
2012 Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award: Thoughts on The City’s Son by Tom Pollock
The Kitschies are the UK based awards that reward the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic. The Golden Tentacle is awarded annually to the debut novel that best fits the…
Ana’s Smugglivus 2012 Feats of Strength
The Feats of Strength are an integral part of our annual Smugglivus Tradition. In previous years, the Feats of Strength were a challenge in which we dared each other to read a book that we knew was so far…
Title: Dark Star Author: Bethany Frenette Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA Publisher: Disney Hyperion Publication date: October 23 2012 Hardcover: 368 pages Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in…
It’s Friday so this means we are over at Kirkus! This week, Thea reviews Urban Fantasy (with a twist of historical fantasy) novel Daughter of the Sword by Steve Bein. With only some reservations, Thea loved this book for…
Title: The City’s Son Author: Tom Pollock Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (UK) / Flux (US) Publication date: August 2 (UK) / September 8 (US) 2012 Hardcover: 480 pages Expelled from school, betrayed by her best…
We are most delighted to welcome Tom Pollock to the blog for the first time. Author of the excellent Urban Fantasy novel The City’s Son – the first book in The Skyscraper Throne trilogy – Tom is here today…