Cassandra Clare - Clockwork Angel (2010)

This is the first book in Cassandra Clare's new series The Infernal Devices, it's also a prequel to her excellent Mortal Instruments series. This series is set in the Victorian era and follows the arrival in England of Tessa Gray, a sixteen year old orphan, who seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunters keep the balance between humanity and Downworlders (Vampires, Demons, Warlocks and other supernaturals). Tessa gets caught up in the Shadowhunters fight when Downworlders try to use her shape-shifting ability to bring down the Shadowhunters so they can use and abuse humanity as they choose.

It's a fun book. Definitely aimed at the current teen trend towards paranormal romance. I liked it and I liked the first series too. I'm enjoying the Victorian aspects in the book. The historical edge with the paranormal and the strong female characters are something I'm attracted to. I love a good action book with one or more kick-ass female heroines.

Juliet Blackwell - A Cast-Off Coven (2010)

The premise of Blackwell's book is that everything someone wears retains some essence of the wearer, like their thoughts or feelings or actions during the time they wore it, and anyone with a high level of empathy, like a witch or psychic, can 'read' the clothing. This is the second book in the Lily Ivory series. Ivory's a witch who runs a vintage clothing store - Aunt Cora's Closet.

Ivory knows how to clear the memories from the clothing so people can wear them again without being effected by anything negative the former owner left behind. But, sometimes the clothing brings a bigger mystery than someone having a really bad day. In the latest book Ivory has to find out why students at the local fine arts school are spooked and what it has to do with a trunk full of Victorian clothing in a hidden room on the top floor of the school.

This is a fun book. I particularly like her familiar, an ever-hungry gargoyle who masquerades as a cute pot-bellied pig. The story is a good mystery, but it goes a little slow in places. I like the descriptions of San Francisco and the way the author obviously cares about animals and the homeless. A nice read overall.

Suzanne Harper - The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney (2007)

Harper has based her book in Lilydale, New York, USA - a spiritualist community founded in 1879. It's occupied by mediums and healers and a gate pass needs to be purchased to enter. The community is open all year round and runs workshops on spiritualism. In many ways it seems like a little nation of its own with rules and regulations that maintain the spiritualist way of life.

Into this world was born the character Sparrow Delaney, seventh daughter of a seventh daughter and believed to be the most powerful medium her family has had - only she doesn't want to be. Sparrow has spent her life hiding her abilities from her family, pretending she's as psychic as a rock and ignoring the ghosts who come to her to have their messages passed on. She's even gone so far as to enrol in a high school outside Lilydale, away from all the hocus pocus in her attempt to live an ordinary life. But the ghosts just won't leave her alone and when she makes a friend who is in deep pain from the death of his brother Sparrow has to decide whether to help or continue to turn her back on her abilities and make her own path in the world.

The book is interesting, mostly because I'd never heard of Lilydale before. I found the writing a little flat, even for a teen novel. It gets a slightly disjointed towards the end of the book and rushes into the ending, almost like the author was running from something - probably an angry ghost or a grumpy orc. Seriously, it's an okay book with an interesting premise. But, I thought it could have been developed better and ended more sincerely, with a bit more compassion for its subject matter. Teen's though, in this era of paranormal novel obsession, will enjoy it.

http://www.lilydaleassembly.com/ The Link to the Lilydale Community.

Jim Butcher - Changes (2010)

This is Jim butcher's 12th novel in his Dresden Files series. I love the books and I love the short-lived television series based on the character, Harry Copperfield Dresden. His father was a Stage Magician, hence the name Harry Copperfield - nothing to do with Harry Potter at all. And you needed to know that because Dresden is a wizard, just not the fluffy high school kind. Dresden is a cross between an old-style private detective (think Sam Spade) and the mythical Merlin. He hunts the things that hunt everyday people and he'll protect them against demons, fae, vampires, werewolves and other wizards - for a fee or just because he should.

Butcher is a strong writer, he's had to be to keep the series going for 12 books. I don't think the recent books are as good as the first 6, but they're still a fun ride into darkness with a knight in shining armour by your side. I like the dry sense of humour he brings out in Dresden. The character is life-worn and thinks he's seen it all, but it doesn't stop him from doing the right thing, even though he'd rather turn his back on the things that go bad, instead he fights against them and leads others into the fray. It's a good read. He's the classic hero, even though he doesn't want to be. He's the perfect leader, even though he'd rather be anywhere but where the drama is. I enjoy the character a lot. He reminds me a little of Indiana Jones with a dash of a John Wayne cowboy thrown in. He's the hero on the white horse, trying to right the wrongs because there's no-one else who will.