The Last Eunuch of China by Jia Yinghun, Translated by Sun Haichen

I'd been looking for this book for months before I finally put my hands on it through the Interlibrary Loans at my university library. It seems like a strange subject to read about, but the history is absolutely fascinating. Chinese history is one of the areas where my education is lacking.

For hundreds of years, China was ruled by an emperor. Traditionally, the imperial family was served by eunuchs. It was considered proper to have eunuchs, especially for the imperial wives and concubines because castration was seen as putting a stop to sexual desire. Eunuch-hood was seen as a possible way for peasant families to get rich, and would often castrate their young boys and send them to the palace for training as eunuchs.

Sun Yaoting was castrated at the age of 7! in the early 1900s shortly before the imperial family was dethroned. How horrible to have gone through that pain and suffering(two MONTHS of recovery time with a quill stuck in your urethra!) only to discover that it was for nothing! Sun Yaoting was sent to the palace by way of a nobleman anyway, when he was a teenager. He was able to serve the royal family for quite some time until the People's Liberation Army claimed China.

Yaoting's life was really interesting. He talked about the imperial family in what seemed to be a very frank light. He had plenty of negative things to say about them. At the same time, I had to wonder if there was more negative to say about them simply because of censorship in China.

Likewise, there was much to say about being a eunuch. There were some eunuchs that served the Imperial family who had families before they were castrated. Others adopted children. Yaoting talked often about eunuchs who would have affairs with maids. Obviously, castration does not remove physical desire.

The book was written in a rather formal style. For the most part, it was a very good translation. There were some times when I could tell that it was translated, but those were few. I was left with a desire to read more about the imperial family of China, especially that of the last emperor.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in history, especially Chinese history.

Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs

I love Patricia Briggs Mercy novels. I knew that she had written other books before that, but I hadn't been able to find a copy of Dragon Bones at my local library. I did find a copy at my local Barnes & Noble's bookstore. I read it right after I bought it, and I'm currently on my second read because I just bought Dragon Blood. I started to read the latter only to realize that it had been too long since I had read the first to remember important details. Long story short, I'm reading it for the second time. It's just as good this time around as it was the first, which is not surprising because Briggs has a deft hand at the pen.

We meet Ward just before his father dies and he inherits rule of the keep at Hurog. Ward has been feigning mental disability since his father beat him unconscious around the age of 10. When his father dies, he inherits not only rule, but keep of the family ghost, Oreg.

Ward decides to keep his true intelligence a secret from his uncle Duraugh. That decision ends up being a mistake when the king's lover Garranon and Garranon's brother Landislaw show up at Hurog in search of a missing slave. Throughout history, Hurog has been a refuge for slaves, and Ward keeps that tradition.

In order to thwart Ward, they declare him incompetent to rule and drug him in order to transport him to the kingdom's asylum. Ward escapes, along with Oreg, his father's butler Axiel, the slave woman, and his sister Ciarra. Along the way, they pick up Tosten, Ward's younger brother who escaped their father's wrath after attempting suicide. Ward took him from Hurog and hid him years ago in order to save his life.

The little band heads toward Oranstone, where war is brewing. Ward's reasoning is that war heroes are harder to kill. Along the way, they learn to fight and face mighty betrayal.

I love this book and its sequel! I really wish that there were more books to it. At the same time, I do feel like the storylines were wrapped up well. I didn't feel like there were any loose ends, I just want more of these characters' stories. I wanted to be part of Ward's band and fight for right. Of course, seeing dragons would just be icing on the cake. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Patricia Briggs, loves dragons, and wants a happy ending where the good guys win.

Words Sway Me

I just finished reading a stunning and heartbreaking novel about what might happen if an EMP was detonated over the U.S. Very realistic depiction, in my opinion. I don't know what was worst; imagining this happening for real in my life, the deaths of the elderly, the cannibalism, the need to lock people up in asylums/sanitoriums again, or the death of a child due to lack of insulin. I could very easily turn into a survivalist if I think about it that much. Then again, I would head for my friend Shannon's house in the event of an apocalypse--she would have plenty of green things growing. And a catapult or trebuchet for defense. Plus, those Baker boys are something fierce!

My mother has always said that words are weapons for me. I can slice you to pieces without ever touching you. I try to use my power for good, but it doesn't always work. I guess it follows that words affect me in the same way. I cry much more easily while I am reading a well-written book than I do when I'm watching a movie.

There are books that I have been reading and re-reading for 10-15 years where the characters seem like old friends. There are books I can no longer read because of the deaths of those beloved characters. There is a book that haunts me, that I love, that was probably my introduction to the genre I most love; fantasy. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It is such a book of humanity and haunting beauty. I want to read it again and again, to hold the words close to me. I can't bear it, though. The unicorn's story is too tragic. There is both great hope and great despair in the tale.

I marvel that this one story can absorb so much of myself. I marvel that this author has woven such a tale! Such a deft hand at the pen. Where does his story come from? I want desperately to have the same skill at writing a tale, the same power to bring tears, to have someone read and re-read my words fifty, a hundred times because of their weight, their aura, their transcendence. I fear that I have nothing so pure and amazing within me. I fear that I have that skill within me, but no story to tell. I fear that I have the story, but cannot find the right words.

Words hold me in their grip, tightly. I live my life along their edges. They susurrate over my tongue, whisper in my ears, grip my soul in both their hands and haul me under the deep blue of their gluttonous mouths.

Dying Sucks by D.D. Barant

I just finished this book, and I can't wait to read the next by this author! It was probably the best book I've read so far this year. I know we're only a couple of weeks in, but it was still a great book. I would highly recommend picking it up soon.

Jace has a dream that a man is telling her to choose the three things that are most vital to her job. She picks up her gun, some bullets, and her laptop, and walks through a door only to find that it wasn't a dream after all. She's been sent to another universe for her expertise in criminal profiling.

This universe is very similar to ours, but magic and supernatural creatures are real. In fact, vampires and werewolves make up most of the population. There are also Golems, constructed beings animated by the spirits of animals. Humans are a very small minority. Jace has been brought to this version of Earth in order to find a killer who has been murdering vampires and werewolves. 'Pires and weres aren't susceptible to the same mental illnesses that humans are, so the law enforcement agencies aren't equipped with the knowledge and experience necessary to find killers like Jace is.

There are so many characters in the book, and it makes it a very intricately, interwoven tapestry of a story. The author has very obviously thought in detail about what changes would result from a population composed primarily of vampires and werewolves. She writes about different books, music, and television shows. There are differences in history, certainly. It was fascinating to think about how it would be different, and the author's depiction was easily believable.

The part that I felt was somewhat unbelievable was that all the men in this universe seemed to be sexually interested in Jace. Werewolves, vampires, humans. It didn't matter--they all wanted her! I don't really remember how the author described her, but it just seems unrealistic that all of them would be interested in her. It was almost as if she felt like a romantic aspect was expected. I can accept that, but it was just distracting that all of the men wanted to get into Jace's pants. I would have been quite happy with the book if there were no romantic aspect to it!

I would totally recommend this book, especially for those who enjoy Kim Harrison's novels. The series is plot-driven, and I am looking forward to finding out what the next serial killer Jace and her colleagues track down is like.

An Update in the Kingdom

There haven't been a lot of reviews in the Book Kingdom lately, and I apologize for that. Things have not been going well on this end for a while. In the past three years, 9 of my family members have passed away. Some were from natural causes or illnesses. My great-aunt and great-uncle were in their nineties. One of my uncles died in an accident.

This weekend, my cousin passed away. She was 35 years old, and was the victim of a violent attack. My family is quite obviously devastated. It makes blogging take a very far backseat to everything else. I've been doing a lot of reading because it helps to keep the grief at bay, gives me time to process. A lot of it is re-reading books I've already read. It's like spending time with old friends, a comfort.

The plan is to return to regularly scheduled reviews starting after Christmas. New reviews will be posted on Mondays, with specials at other times during the week as they occur.

Staying Dead and Curse the Dark by Laura Anne Gilman

I think that these books are one of the most interesting concepts that I've read in a while. I picked them up thinking they were going to be paranormal romance. They are definitely paranormal, but there's not anywhere near as much romance as I expected. Don't get me wrong, there is romance. It's a much smaller part of the novels than usual. This one fits much better into the newer urban fantasy subgenre. It's quickly becoming my favorite genre overall. Who doesn't like it when a heroine kicks some major baddie butt?

Wren is a Retriever. If someone has something stolen and wants it back, she's your go-to girl. Her partner Sergei handles the business side. Wren is the Talent of the partnership, handling Current in order to get the job done. Usually, a Talent of her caliber is governed by the Council. Wren operates outside of Council boundaries as a Lonejack, one of many freelance magicians in the city. She is also a friend to the Fatae, the supernatural beings who live in the city. As a side-effect of her Current-use, she shorts out the fuses in her apartment on a regular basis, can't use cell phones, and can only use dial-up for her internet connection.

In Staying Dead, Wren is asked to retrieve the cornerstone of a building that includes protective spells. She has to get information through her unusual sources: a four foot tall demon with white fur and red eyes that looks like a miniature polar bear, and a wizzart, a Talent user who has taken in too much Current and has gone insane as a side effect. She ends up encountering a ghost in a deadly situation.

In Curse the Dark, her task is to retrieve a particularly nasty parchment that makes anyone who reads it disappear. It has been stolen from the House of Holding, a building where no magic can be worked that is guarded by monks. Wren and Sergei track the parchment across Italy and back to the United States where they discover it has ended up in their own city. Meanwhile, the Council, the Lonejacks, and the Fatae are at odds. Fatae are being beaten by a hate group, and lives are at stake.

I have to say that I was not a fan of Gilman's writing at first. In Staying Dead, she does a poor job of explaining her version of magic, and doesn't do a very good job of setting up the mythos of her novels. I was totally confused about what she was talking about for the first ten or fifteen pages. The writing was unclear and not set out in a logical way. As I kept reading, the writing got better, and I was hooked by the end of the first book. It is very clear that Gilman has set these books up as a series. There are quite a few events in the novels that have no resolution and even seem out of place at times.

I really enjoyed both books, and I would highly recommend them. Gilman's novels are plot-driven as opposed to being character-driven, and I don't read enough of that type of book in the paranormal romance genre. I think that I would totally not be able to be a Talent in Wren's world--I couldn't give up my electronic gizmos! Be prepared to be confused at the beginning of the first book. It's worth it to muddle through to the magicky goodness on the other side.

Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I love Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. I think that when I began delving into the world of paranormal romance, her Dark Hunters series was one of the first I discovered, along with J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood. It has been a while since I read through the Dark Hunters books, and I plan to pick them up again here soon. The TBR pile never gets smaller...

I hadn't read any of Kenyon's League novels until now. I picked this one up because of a conversation I overheard at a Kelly Armstrong signing, actually. I've read a few futuristic novels, but most of them are at best oddly done. Kenyon's was fantastic. I had no problem with believing in the setting like I have in other books.

I loved the characters, too. How can you not love a man named Syn? I loved the wordplay between him and Shahara about what the C.I. stood for. The characters were intelligent, and they were people I could have quite happily spent time with.

Here's a quick synopsis: Shahara is responsible for the care and feeding of her three siblings as the oldest. One of her sisters has a gambling problem and has landed herself in the hospital. In the future, hospitals won't continue to provide care if you don't pay. Shahara has only a few days to come up with the money to pay for her sister's health care or they will turn her out, resulting in her death.

Shahara, a bounty hunter, takes a contract for C.I. Syn. Syn is convicted of the rape and murder of Kiara, the daughter of a government official. Shahara doesn't know that Kiara is still alive and in love with Nyk, one of Syn's compatriots. She's already convicted him in her mind and is committed to bringing him in. Syn convinces her to let him go, but then Shahara strikes a deal with some of Syn's enemies. The two of them learn about each other as they search for the evidence that will keep Syn safe.

If you like Kenyon's Dark Hunter novels, you will certainly enjoy this book. I think that if you've read other futuristic novels and think they're hard to swallow, this one will make you try again.