Catalia Fisa is a powerful mage and clairvoyant hiding out from her murderous mother. What’s a girl to do when she runs away from home? Why, she joins the circus of course! Posing as a fraudulent soothsayer and going by the name of Cat the Great, Cat’s been able to stay off the radar for years. Too bad for her that mommy dearest isn’t the only person interested in dragging Cat back home, kicking and screaming … This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Cat’s more than just your average mage or clairvoyant (of course). She’s the Kingmaker, a type of clairvoyant born every few hundred years with the power to detect any lies or disloyalty, and thus she can make kings rise – or fall. And the brilliant strategist and former warlord Griffin, known as Beta Sinta, wants Cat to ensure that his family’s reign will be long-lasting. Griffin’s sister is Alpha Sinta, the supreme authority in the Sintan territory, and she needs Cat’s abilities. And Griffin’s not going to take no for an answer. We get to know Cat, Griffin, and Griffin’s most loyal men very well as the ragtag group makes their way – some more…

City of the Lost is the first book in a new series from Canadian mega-author Kelley Armstrong; unlike the majority of Armstrong’s works, this book is a thriller without any obvious speculative elements. Set in the northernmost territory of Canada, the horror in City of the Lost comes not from the supernatural, but from the horrors people will commit when removed from the constraints of civilization. To save her best friend Diana and escape her troubled past, homicide detective Casey Duncan agrees to an insane proposition: in exchange for her crime-solving skills (and a “small” fee, of course) Casey and Diana will be erased, disappearing from society into an off-the-map settlement called Rockton. A community of approximately 200 people, Rockton is a safe haven for those who need to escape. With no internet access, no electricity, and no marked location, Rockton truly is the city of the lost. The setting of City of the Lost is so crucial to the story that it’s almost a character unto itself. Inspired by a family vacation Armstrong took to the Yukon, this novel showcases Canada’s stark northern beauty. Surrounded by the tundra and boreal forests, Rockton is a cross between a frontier town…

Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson has faced some truly formidable foes in the past, ranging from vampires to fae assassins and even a god….not to mention Adam’s horrible ex-wife Christy. Somehow Mercy always survives, even if it’s just by the skin of her teeth. But the latest threat is one that Mercy alone cannot hope to beat alone: the Grey Lords, the elders of the fae community. The Grey Lords are tired of living as second-class citizens when they’re actually apex predators, and they’re finally ready to show the world just how powerful they can be. Mercy, Adam, and all their allies will need to work together if they want to stop a war… Although I’ve enjoyed all the books in the Mercy Thompson series, I couldn’t help but feel that the last installment, NIGHT BROKEN, was something of a filler novel. Not a whole lot happened in that book generally, and even less occurred to drive the series’ plot arc forward. But Patricia Briggs is in fine form with FIRE TOUCHED, juggling characters both old and new with the increasingly complex inter-species politics that makes up the foundation of the series. A new species or supernatural type is introduced in…

Sophie Jordan’s Reign of Shadows is a riff on a familiar story: a young Princess spirited away to live in a tower encounters a bad boy with a heart of gold who spurs her on a quest to save herself and take back her Kingdom. But the Kingdom of Relhok is plagued by the Blackness, a mysterious eternal darkness that covers the land. And under the cover of this darkness, foul things like the dwellers have been unearthed. The dwellers are human sized insect-like creatures that paralyze their victims and feast on their bodies; unsurprisingly, the fear of a dweller attack is strong and keeps Luna more or less trapped inside the tower. Princess Luna lives in hiding with only her two guardians for company when a mysterious young man named Fowler happens upon their tower…changing her life forever. Luna and Fowler’s relationship develops quickly, which isn’t exactly surprising given that a) they’re keenly aware that they could be killed by dwellers or rogues at any time and b) the fact that Luna’s never met a boy before. Hell, if I’d been living in a tower for seventeen years and a hot guy stumbled into my path I’d probably go…