01 April 2011

THE HUNTER'S MOON by O. R. MELLING

 was trolling the stacks at the library, looking for a book to satisfy a mythology/folklore part of a challenge when this book called my name. I love faeries, werewolves, vampires, wizards, and all things urban fantasy. In addition, I have always had a burning curiosity about all things Irish. This book seemed to be a good combination of the two.

First let me clarify. This book is YA fantasy, not urban fantasy. It is all about the world of faeries and how it interacts with the mortal world. The setting is modern day Ireland. The main protagonists include and Irish American teen, an Irish teen, and the King of Faerie. Included is a whole host of supporting characters including a leprechaun, the hereditary king of Inch Island, an old Irish soothsayer, and many more. It reads as part fantasy book, part fairy tale, and part Irish folklore. What it mostly does is work. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was written by an Irish author. It included a large amount of Irish Folklore, which was explained in the back of the book. As well as a lot of Irish Gaelic, which was also explained in the glossary in the back. The characters were lovable. The story line kept my interest and, although it wasn't anything earth shaking, neither was it totally predictable. The ending surprised me a bit and was a fitting ending to this story.

As a result, I am torn between giving it 3 and 3.75 stars. This author is a new author to me, and I am looking forward to reading other books by her.

FAITHLESS by KARIN SLAUGHTER

Number five in the Grant County series by Karin Slaughter. This one has another thrilling story line. A girl buried alive in the woods, a religious cult, weird wacky characters, more secrets revealed by the main characters, a side story about battered women, and more problems for Lena.   And even more important, less of the Jeffrey/Sara soap opera. I really like this series for the wonderful story lines that the author includes. They have twists and turns, some endearing characters, some that you love to hate, the villains are sufficiently horrible.   I also like the way that the author uses the titles to reflect both the thriller story line, and the continuing story line of the main characters.  BUT PLEASE: Sara and Jeffrey need to grow up. I could really do with out that aspect of the stories. 3.5 stars.