Very excited to say that Beth Cato sent me an excerpt! This excerpt from chapter 1 offers an introduction to geomancy.
 
Whimpers and moans welcomed Ingrid to the junior classroom. Nearest to the door, a dozen boys half sprawled over their desks. A blue mist overlay their skin, and beneath that mist were the sure signs of power sickness—skin flushed by high fever, thick sweat, dull eyes. The rest of the class stared, their expressions ranging from curiosity to horror. Some of them still showed signs of very recent recovery in their bloodshot eyes. None of these boys was older than ten; the youngest was a pudgy-faced eight.
 
"There you are!" The teacher scowled, as if it were Ingrid’s
fault he’d been so inept with his accounting. Biting her lip, she held out the bag. He snatched it from her fingertips.
 
The chalkboard laid out the terminology of the lesson, one
Ingrid had seen taught dozens of times: hyperthermia, hypothermia, and the quick timeline to a geomancer’s death. These young boys experienced the hard lesson of hyperthermia. The last earthquake noticeable by the wardens had taken place
three days before. These students had been directly exposed to the current and hadn’t been allowed access to any kermanite. As a result, they spent the past few days bed-bound in misery as though gripped by influenza.
 
Thank God none of them were as sensitive as Ingrid. Another direct tremor would cause their temperatures to spike even more, and could even lead to death.
 
The teacher adept pressed a piece of kermanite to a boy’s skin. He gasped at the contact. Blue mist eddied over his body, the color evaporating as it was pulled inside the rock.
 
If she could see the kermanite in the adept’s hand, the clear crystal would be filling with a permanent smoky swirl. It took a trained mechanic to rig an electrical current to tap the trapped magic as a battery. When the energy within was exhausted, a crystal turned dull and dark. Once that happened, kermanite became a useless rock.
 
The young boy sat up straighter. "Thank you, sir," he whispered,
voice still ragged. It would take him hours to fully recover.
 
Ingrid looked away, that familiar anger heavy in her chest.
Wardens and boys in training carried kermanite openly from
watch fobs and cuff links, or most any other accessory where
stones could be easily switched out once they were full.
 
She had to be far more subtle. Her kermanite chunks clinked together in her dress pocket. She had to take care not to touch them today, or the energy she held would be siphoned away.
 
Ingrid loved this slight flush of power, because that’s what it was — power. It sizzled just beneath her skin, intoxicated her
with how it prickled at her nerves. Certainly, if she absorbed
any more energy, she’d use the kermanite. She didn’t want to feel sick, though she could hold much more power than these boys, or even the wardens. Mr. Sakaguchi said she took after
Papa — that she stored power like a bank vault, while most
everyone else had the capacity of a private safe.
 
When it came to her natural skill, Ingrid often regarded herself as a rare fantastic or yokai — not like garden ornamentals like the kappas or naiads sold to the stuffed shirts on Market Street — but like the geomantic Hidden Ones Mr. Sakaguchi so loved to research. She was a creature relegated to idle fancy and obscure mythology, and aggravating shoes.

I read a good deal. By that, I mean anywhere from two to five books a week. Most of those books are in the Fantasy genre. With a habit like that, I read and reread books in my collection as well as buying and discovering new authors. Unfortunately, I find that my tastes are not completely mainstream. Nor are they particularly literary. I can't count on either the New York Times bestseller list or reviews in prominent magazines because I'm usually disappointed by books on either (or both).

What do I love? An amazing story that carries me along. Characters, especially female characters, whose skin I can ride around in for a while. A setting that transports me away from where I am actually sitting. I also like a bit of well-written romance, though it isn't a necessity. As my already-read list grows, so does my need for plots and settings that are written with a twist or in a new and original way. I love books whose writing doesn't get in the way of the story. Where, when I've read for a few moments, I no longer see words. I instead see a moving picture in my mind because of seamless writing, fantastic characters and wondrous settings. I want the book that is so much better than a TV show or film that I don't mind missing my bedtime.

Epic Fantasy is my "carry me away" go-to. But Urban Fantasy is a close second. And of course I'll pick up a bit of alternative history or Steampunk if it's amazing. Science Fiction has to be completely character-driven (and I usually only like SciFi when written by a woman) or I read a chapter and set it down. These days there isn't much difference between Young Adult Fantasy and Adult fantasy so I read it all and probably won't notice who it was directed at.

I've decided to start sharing the books I read that I love. Some will be rereads and have been released years or decades, some will be new. Some I will be rereading because another in the series is coming out and I want the world to be fresh. There is a massive influx of books on the market these days - between self-publishing, vanity publishing, regular publishing and publishing I'm too old to know about the market is flooded. I've learned to my chagrin that much of it is really, really bad. Luckily I read quickly and can tell within a chapter if something is worth my time. This is my way of plucking the gems out of the silt I am sifting and presenting them to you as a reader.  I doubt I'll waste my time on the ones I didn't like. I like focusing on the positive and as a writer know that every book is the author's baby. I don't believe my opinion is the defining well of wisdom.I despise many books that other readers adore and vice versa. So why hurt an author just because I wasn't the audience they were directing the book to?

If you find you like some of the books and authors I'm reading, then this may help you decide future purchases. If you find you hate the books I review then find someone who reads what you love and don't bother me about it. I'm really not interested in hearing that you hated something I loved - this blog is mine not yours and I don't need your narcissism. I will delete negative comments and arrogant jerk posts. Because life is too short to respond to trolls - and way too short to read books you don't love unabashedly.