WINNER: Re-Read Reminisce 'Aspect of Crow Trilogy' {Part 2}

And the lucky winner is (drum-roll, please...)

Molly!

Yay! Congrats, and thanks to everyone who entered. And an especially big THANKS to my friend, Larissa, for being an awesome co-host in our first Re-Read Reminisce venture!

Re-Read Reminisce 'Aspect of Crow Trilogy' {Part 2} + GIVEAWAY!

Re-Read Reminisce is a new joint-feature between book-blogger friends: ALPHA reader and Larissa’s Bookish Life.

The Re-Read Reminisce is all about recalling an old series or book that has pride of place on our keeper shelf, but that we haven’t thought about in a while. In Re-Reading the books we’ll be remembering why we fell in love with them in the first place, what they’ve come to mean to us and why we think any of you who are unfamiliar with the titles should give them a read.

Our first Re-Read Reminisce will be: Jeri Smith Ready's 'Aspect of Crow' trilogy!

What characters in the series most stood out for you the first time you read it? And what about this time around?

Danielle: Oh, Rhia and Marek stole the spotlight for me, absolutely. They had such a unique love story that just drew me in, completely. That’s why in the second book I really felt the pain of their separation - and in the third book I had my heart in my throat the whole time, hoping they’d both make it out alive.

But in this second reading, it was all about Sura and Dravek! Hot damn! In my first reading of the series I was still grappling with Rhia and Marek’s diminished roles - I don’t think I paid enough attention to Smith-Ready’s new additions to the series. In this re-read I was totally suckered into Sura and Dravek’s forbidden romance - it was so steamy and conflicted, and even knowing how it all ended I still read with my heart-rate pumping!

Larissa: That is so funny, because on my first read I was also thoroughly involved with Marek and Rhia’s plea and when the third book came along and they became sort of background, I had a hard time dealing with it for a little while. But when I realized that the main characters were simply the kids we had been seeing around and survivors from the previous books, I freaked out! I thought that was so freaking brilliant LOL. The first time I read the series I was totally drawn to Nilik for some reason, I even named my iPod after him =P, I also loved reading about Alanka and Philip. However, this time around I was completely obsessed with Davrek and Sura. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them back then, but this time, book 3 was all about them =D

Did the ending still impact you, even though this was a re-read and you knew all the pitfalls and outcomes?

Danielle: Yes, yes, and YES - and in many ways, more so! I remember when I read final book ‘The Reawakened’ the first time round I was somewhat disappointed that Rhia and Marek’s children (especially Nilik) didn’t get more page-time. I thought this book would be all about them - the next generation of our main protagonist. But in this re-reading I was so much more invested in Sura and Dravek’s romance that I found myself on a whole new roller-coaster ride with them. Even knowing how it all ends (I don’t want to spoil it for anyone!) I still had my heart in my throat and my butt on the edge of my seat. It’s a testament to Smith-Ready’s talent that even a re-read can keep me rapt.

Larissa: Absolutely! I was also so involved with Davrek and Sura that their story was just as riveting this time around. I even found myself crying, AGAIN! How incredible is that! Honestly, I am not the kind of person that re-reads everything I love, it has to be something that impacts me thoroughly to get me to do that and this series is definitely up there and Jeri has the power to make me feel so much, even when I know the end.

You’d recommend the ‘Aspect of Crow’ series to people who also enjoyed …?

Danielle: Suzanne Collins’s ‘Hunger Games’. In this second reading it really leaped out at me how ‘Aspect of Crow’ is like a grown-up, more fantastical ‘Hunger Games’, in many ways. The Descendants are like the Capitol residents - and the ways that the different societies are separated is somewhat similar to the Districts. There’s a big concentration on politics in both series (especially regarding war and the uprising of lower classes against rich oppressors). Definitely, if you liked ‘The Hunger Games’ but wanted a bit more sexiness, then ‘Aspect of Crow’ is a must-read!

Larissa: Totally agree Danielle! I had never thought it like that. Yeah, The Aspect of Crow Trilogy is definitely a more adult and sexier Hunger Games with a Fantastical touch.

I would also recommend it to anyone that has always wanted to try Fantasy out but doesn’t know where to start! =D You won’t regret it!

These books obviously have pride of place on your ‘keeper shelf’ and are special for being worth a revisit. If you could - what would you say to Jeri Smith-Ready about her epic ‘Aspect of Crow’ series?

Danielle: THANK YOU! Seriously, honestly and from the bottom of my heart - thank you! I don’t know if I would have kept reading the paranormal/fantasy genre if not for this series. When I first read these books I was sort of on-the-fence about the genre in general, and I needed something epic and brilliant to sink my teeth into and get me hooked - and that’s what your ‘Aspect of Crow’ did for me. It was my gateway-book, so to speak. One hit and I was hooked, for good and for life. So, thank you - if not for Rhia and her adventures I may never have delved so deep into the fantastical - and I would have missed out on so much! Me (and my imagination) thank you!

Larissa: I’ll copy Danielle and say: THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH! I am not an avid Fantasy reader but I do enjoy the genre and your trilogy was such a perfect mix of incredible world building and unforgettable characters that it’s impossible to not fall in love with it.

Check Out Part ONE of this post at:

http://www.larissaslife.com/

Larissa and I each have x1 copy of Smith-Ready’s (Wonderful! Amazing! See above!) first book in the ‘Aspect of Crow’ series to give away. To be in the running for this book, all you have to do is;

How to enter:

♥ Become a follower of my blog (NOT mandatory, but appreciated)

♥ Leave a comment on this post

♥ Include a way to contact you (e-mail addy is fine)

♥ You can enter the Giveaway on BOTH Blogs (but you can only win either on Larissa's Bookish Life or here)

♥ This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway! (anywhere Book Depot ships)

♥ Contest closes September 30th

The two lucky winners will be announced on ALPHA reader and Larissa's Bookish Life on October 2nd.

'Bring on the Night' WVMP Radio #3 by Jeri SMITH-READY

** SPOILERS ahead **

From the BLURB:

WHAT'S BLOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n'™ Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!

But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps? Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious fatal virus spreads through Sherwood - and corpses begin to rise from their graves - Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

‘Bring on the Night’ is the third book in Jeri Smith-Ready’s WVMP vampire radio series.

WVMP is the most unique vampire urban fantasy out there. Hands-down. In this world American vampires are under jurisdiction of the ‘International Agency for the Control and Management of Undead Corporeal Entities’, otherwise known as ‘Control’. Vampires need to be monitored by the Government because being undead has a few draw-backs. Mainly, vampires get mentally ‘stuck’ in the era in which they were turned, and they need the Control to help assimilate them into modern society and maintain a connection to this era. Another side-effect of vampirism is psychological ticks and oddities – most vamps develop OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) in various forms, partly because of the strain it takes them to live in current times and the mental/sensory overload of being a vamp.

Ciara Griffin is the main protagonist of WVMP. She grew up as a con-artist and stumbled across the great vampire conspiracy when she applied for a job at vampire radio, WVMP. The radio station is a Control company designed to shelter vampire DJ’s while also keeping them connected to the modern world – the DJ’s are able to play music from their decade, but interact with modernity.

Over two books Ciara has befriended these vampires, and fallen in love with 90’s DJ vampire, Shane. Ciara has also gotten mixed up with Control and become an agent for them.

This book follows on from the events of ‘Bad to the Bone’. In ‘Bring on the Night’ Ciara is finishing her Control training, completing her university degree and getting serious with Shane. Very early on in the novel Shane proposes to Ciara, and despite all human/vampire odds, Ciara agrees. Her fellow Control agents aren’t all as thrilled with the engagement, however;

“Ciara, listen.” David’s voice dipped. “Be Shane’s girlfriend, live with him as long as you can stand it, but don’t take this step. If you could look ten or twenty years down the road, you’d see all the things he can’t give you.”

But Ciara and Shane’s happiness is put on hold in wake of a chicken pox pandemic spreading through Sherwood. Ciara never had chicken pox as a child, and she is exposed to at least 2 other diseased people. The chicken pox plague breaks out at the same time that cadavers (i.e.: Zombies!) are spotted around town. It all coalesces to be a big ol’ bag of ‘holy hell’ for the WVMP crew and Control.

You know those war movies where the troops proceed in orderly fashion, taking on the enemy as a single-minded unit? And then you know those other war movies where the battlefield is complete fucking chaos?
This was the latter. This was the undead ‘Braveheart.’

‘Bring on the Night’ is perhaps the most important novel in the WVMP series thus far... because Ciara turns into a vampire. This is HUGE! With other Urban Fantasy series, readers have a fair idea of where vampire/non-vampire characters stand. Sookie Stackhouse fans know that Sookie isn’t going to be bitten any time soon because Ms. Harris has said as much, and it goes against her beliefs. Likewise, nobody was particularly surprised when Cat was turned fully vamp in Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress’ series. But in WVMP Ciara being turned was totally up in the air. It could have gone either way, total 50/50. And I, for one, was shocked by Smith-Ready’s choice to turn Ciara. I think Smith-Ready also set the first half of the book up as a red herring of sorts, because with Shane’s proposal came Ciara’s worries about their human/vampire differences. I thought that was a hint at the rest of the series... and then Smith-Ready goes and turns everything on its head by vamping Ciara.
OH. MY. GOD.

I loved Ciara’s transition to vampire. It’s quite realistically handled, even the mundane side of things (waiting for your fangs to pop, for example). But more than that, Ciara’s turning is an emotional exploration. Smith-Ready really delves into Ciara’s grieving. And Ciara doesn’t just mourn the obvious things like sunshine – she laments losing her favourite foods, and her lost independence now that she is reliant on blood donors for her survival. Jeri Smith-Ready beautifully and sadly explores Ciara’s loss of life, and she does so with a totally new perspective. Ciara sees her need of willing blood donors as a sign of dependency, and a loss of independency – she likens drinking from blood donors to begging for scraps of food. I never thought of it that way, but I could understand Ciara’s sadness and fear completely.

But for all the negatives, Ciara’s vampirism allows her and Shane to have forever. This novel, more than the first two, delves into Shane and Ciara’s relationship. There’s a lot of delicious hot n’ heavy between them in ‘Bring on the Night’, and it is wonderful! Shane has always been a very romantic, intense guy. But in this third book he exceeds his previous romantic endeavours and becomes a hot combination of Alpha/Beta hero gorgeousness;

Shane raised his trembling hands like he wanted to seize me. But instead he rested them gently, one on each of my cheeks.
“Ciara.” He bent low and brushed my lips with nothing but his breath. “I’d have kicked God’s own ass to get you back with me.”

Shane and Ciara are one of my favourite UF pairings... and I love them even more after ‘Bring on the Night’. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the ending will have you tearing up and going “awwww!”.

This third book also has some kick-ass action and horror cool. One of my favourite scenes in the novel involved “incompetent zombie cheerleaders”. And that says it all, I think.

‘Bring on the Night’ is one of the best Urban Fantasy novels I have ever read, and it is a compliment to one of the most original UF series out there. Jeri Smith-Ready outdoes herself; she completely changes the trajectory of the series, overhauls her main protagonist and brings some seriously mushy romance to an otherwise zombie-butt-kicking novel. Amazing! I can’t wait for fourth book ‘Let it Bleed’ coming August 2011.

5/5

'Requiem for the Devil' by Jeri Smith-Ready

From the BLURB:

Set in modern-day Washington, D.C., REQUIEM depicts the end of the Devil's ten-billion-year career. For the first time in his existence, Lucifer falls in love, and this event threatens to transform his identity and perhaps even his destiny. Gianna O'Keefe is the woman who drags him out of his ancient despair and points him toward possible salvation.

Yet Lucifer's path from evil is neither straight nor smooth. Pursuing love means betraying his fellow fallen angels, the loyal friends who once followed him to damnation. Divine and infernal forces seem to conspire against his and Gianna's union. Lucifer's empire crumbles around him as he dares to defy the natural order and question his fate.

This is Jeri Smith-Ready’s first published work. She wrote it for the 2000 Writer’s Association Novel contest. Because I love Smith-Ready’s ‘Aspect of Crow’ and ‘WVMP’ series, I was really interested in reading her first literary foray. I’m so glad that I did.

I loved this book. It reminded me a lot of Kevin Smith’s 1999 (awesome) film ‘Dogma’ - beautifully and hilariously depicting biblical characters in the modern world. Lucifer hangs out with three demon cronies – Beelzebub, Belial and Mephistopheles. The four of them exchange witty banter that occasionally turns macabre and disturbing – but is also darkly humorous.

“Wanna go down to the Vietnam Memorial and make helicopter noises?”

But it’s not all wit and black humor. Smith-Ready actually delves into Lucifer’s relationship with his ‘Father’ – God, and explores his feelings of abandonment from the one who was supposed to be the centre of his universe.

The love story is actually quite a slow burn. You would think a story about the Devil falling in love would be all fireworks and epic diatribes about the beauty and salvation of love. But what makes this book so brilliant is that love creeps up on Lucifer the same way it does for most people. He’s not expecting it; he rebels against it, tries to deny it but eventually succumbs – slowly and thoroughly. That’s also what makes Lucifer such an intriguing character – that he is so relatable in his emotions.

And his love interest isn’t what you’d expect. Gianna isn’t a virginal beacon of purity and honesty – she is a lawyer turned lobbyist for America’s poor – but she’s actually quite cynical and jaded, spouting witty self-deprecating humor that makes her entirely endearing.

The romance is quite romantic – regardless of the fact that Lucifer is still carrying out his demonic plans while wooing Gianna, and that he has bizarre reactions to his feeling for her (like threatening to throw her into the Grand Canyon if she doesn’t admit to loving him). What makes the love story so appealing is that it’s all so completely new and shiny to Lucifer – he’s stumbling, bumbling along in the relationship with absolutely no idea about what he’s doing.

A long-sleeved velvet dress cleaved to her thin body and was a deep, delicious red that made my eyeballs feel drunk. I fought to remember who I was and to maintain an aloofness appropriate to the second most powerful being in the universe.

I wasn’t successful.

What makes ‘Requiem’ so interesting is Smith-Ready’s gradual build-up to an intense emotional conclusion. A novel about the devil falling in love could have been pretty boring, but Smith-Ready writes the story as a gradual culmination to the Devil revealing himself to the woman he loves. Lucifer struggles with his love for Gianna, especially when he feels the need to reveal himself to her and have no secrets between them. It’s an intense build-up, and Lucifer’s internal struggles and Gianna’s possible reactions to his true identity reveal ‘Requiem’ as an amazing metaphor. Lucifer as evil incarnate could be any sinister individual – murderer, pedophile, rapist – and Smith-Ready asks the uncomfortable question of whether or not he can be forgiven, rehabilitated or even loved.

I might be making ‘Requiem’ sound like seriously heavy reading. It is definitely an admirable literary work – but having read ‘Requiem’ I can see why Smith-Ready was contracted for her fantasy series ‘Aspect of Crow’ and Urban Fantasy ‘WVMP’. Smith-Ready beautifully intertwines theological debates, black witticisms, and interesting characters in the modern world. She’s funny, dark and thought provoking. Don’t assume this is a heavy read – it’s actually very funny and enjoyable, and surprisingly romantic.

I’ve heard a few people say that after reading a few duds (*cough* ‘Covet’ *cough*) they are completely turned off by the whole ‘Angel’ storyline. Well, I would highly recommend ‘Requiem for the Devil’ as a cure. Smith-Ready has written the ultimate fallen angel love story – and she’s written it with panache, dark humor and infinite tenderness for the embodiment of evil and his romantic trials and tribulations.

5/5

'Bad to the Bone: WVMP #2' by Jeri Smith-READY

From the BLURB:

If you're just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, "The Lifeblood of Rock'n'Roll." Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs -- including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister -- who really sink their teeth into the music of their "Life Time" (the era in which they became vampires). It's Ciara's job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive -- without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They've got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails -- what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station's midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be...a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend's unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year's in one piece, she'll need to learn a few new tricks....

I love this series – it’s become one of my favorite Urban Fantasies, and Jeri-Smith Ready is officially a ‘must buy’ author for me. I really liked her first book in the WVMP series (‘Wicked Game’) but ‘Bad to the Bone’ totally seals the deal.

In this book the vampire radio station is up against a group of religious zealots trying to steal their airwaves. The religious storyline isn’t exactly new to the vampire book – and in ‘Bad to the Bone’ the ‘Fortress’ religious nuts reminded a lot of Charlaine Harris’s ‘Light of Day’ anti-vampire institute. But Smith-Ready makes such a compelling storyline out of it and puts her own spin on this institution that you forgive the familiarity of the ‘bad guys’.

I really appreciated the progression of Ciara and Shane’s relationship in this book. It’s definitely not a smooth relationship; apart from battling Shane’s OCD, inherent vampire problems (i.e: sunlight) and questions about Shane’s eventual loss of humanity and Ciara’s aging… Smith-Ready has the couple dealing with very real relationship issues. One of those issues is Ciara’s growing attraction to fellow co-worker (and human), David. Shane is Ciara’s first long-term boyfriend (4 months) and she holds nothing back from the reader about how hard it is to maintain the relationship – and one of the obstacles she battles is lust for David. The triangle is made even more interesting when David reciprocates Ciara’s interest.

But best of all in ‘Bad to the Bone’ is Smith-Ready showing how much Shane and Ciara love each other. It is quite rare to have a series in which the protagonist gets her guy in the first book and subsequent books follow the evolution of their relationship. I can really only think of Jeaniene Frost’s ‘Night Huntress’ series as one other that has no ‘will-they-or-won’t-they’ for the protagonist and her leading man. I like that Smith-Ready is showing us the progression of Shane and Ciara’s relationship, especially if it means plenty of steamy sex scenes and sweet monologues from Shane:

“Sometimes in the middle of the night” he says, “when I’m in the studio, a song will remind me of you. One line of lyrics, or even just a riff that travels up my spine the way your fingers do. And suddenly I’ll miss the way your skin smells in all the hidden places. I’ll miss the way you sigh when I slide inside you, and the way your eyelashes flutter. Or I’ll just miss the way you laugh at one of my stupid jokes. And sometimes this happens in the middle of the day when I’m at the station, and I know you’re upstairs in the office, and I could walk up and see you in less than a minute.”

*sigh*. Shane is fast becoming one of my all-time favorite vampire men. And ‘Bad to the Bone’ is also full of good Shane/Ciara smuttiness, including one scene in which they have sex while Shane is ‘on air’ – kinky goodness.

I love this series, and I can’t wait for the 3rd book. ‘Bring on the Night’ will be released sometime in August 2010, and a fourth book has a tentative Spring 2011 release.

If you haven’t yet added Jeri Smith-Ready to your TBR pile – do it now. Whether it’s this WVMP series, or her ‘Aspect of Crow’ – both are phenomenally good and have made her an ‘automatic buy’ for me.

5/5

Wicked Game review

Aspect of Crow review

'Wicked Game: WVMP Radio #1' by Jeri Smith-Ready

From the BLURB:

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain their cred: they're vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned.

Ciara's first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WMMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station--and the link it provides to their original Life Times--the vampires would "fade," becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death.

To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as "WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll." In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs' vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around--next to Ciara's complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the "gimmick" enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren't so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher--and the perils graver--than any con game Ciara's ever played....

I really liked this book. I read ‘Wicked Game’ because I loved Smith-Ready’s ‘Aspect of Crow’ trilogy – which is fantasy, so when I discovered she had an Urban Fantasy series I was instantly intrigued.

Smith-Ready has written a very different vampire mythology. It is based in the real world; complete with references to Buffy & Angel, and Ciara has even been known to “scarf those trendy vampire novels like they were heroin-soaked potato chips” (so, a girl after my own heart). Smith-Ready does not glamorize her vampires, just the opposite. She has her vampires designing coping mechanisms for their immortality; they are essentially ‘stuck’ in the decade in which they were turned. Trying to force vampires into the modern age and outside their comfort zones will leave them hollow shells, alive but not living. These vampires also show signs of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder);

As modern life intrudes on a vampire’s carefully constructed reality, he or she may rebel against these feelings of powerlessness. A benign response may take the form of obsessive-compulsive behaviors, which grant the illusion of control.

It’s a very different vampire mythology than I am used to, but utterly fascinating. Vampires are not known to the public, but have been monitored by Government departments for decades. It’s quite sad, really – these vampires are essentially useless to the US Government because of the drawbacks of their immortality, and are therefore a disenfranchised segment of society. They each struggle with their own neurosis, and grapple with their tethers to the past. They struggle to keep jobs, especially jobs that allow them to live in the present but remain connected to their past. That’s why the vampires at the WMMP radio station have the perfect job; they can play all the golden oldies they like and not be suspicious for being immersed in the past.

‘Wicked Game’ does have a love story at its centre. Ciara falls for vampire-DJ Shane (whose specialty is 90’s grunge) pretty much from the get-go. It is a very sweet romance – not only is Ciara overcoming her fear of getting bit, but she’s struggling with Shane’s mental disabilities too.

Both Shane and Ciara are pretty fascinating characters. Ciara has a shady grifter background – more at ease conning people than working for them, and it’s interesting to read her try to ‘play it straight’. Shane is also fascinating; even before he was turned, Shane struggled with depression; he wasn’t miraculously cured when he became a vampire, but had to add ‘OCD’ to his plethora of problems.

I really liked ‘Wicked Game’. Smith-Ready has become a ‘must read’ author for me. I adored her ‘Aspect of Crow’ trilogy, and now I am eager to read the next 2 books in this WVMP series.

5/5

'Aspect of Crow' review

'Aspect of Crow' SERIES by Jeri Smith-Ready

Rhia is bound to the Spirit of Crow. It is her destiny to guide the dead through to the 'Otherworld', and peace. She comes from the village Asermos, but to learn about her Spirit and the rare power within her, she must travel to the village of Kalindon and become apprentice to an older, wiser Crow woman.

The series is hard to describe in a few sentences - especially since each book spans decades. In 'Eyes of the Crow' we meet Rhia when she is 11, 16, then 18. By the third book, 'The Reawakened', 18 years have passed since the events of the second book 'Voice of Crow'.

What I can say about Jeri Smith-Ready's 'Aspects of Crow' is that it's one of the best fantasy series I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I don't normally read fantasy unless it has the word 'Urban' in front of it - but Smith-Ready has written a series that seamlessly incorporates vivid characters, metaphors, morals and sensuality into an unforgettable tale. The books are all about the unknown and accepting difference. In the first book Rhia must leave her village for Kalindon, where rumors abound about the 'termite' villagers who live in trees and sport seven-inch fingernails. The villains of the series are 'the Descendents' - another race who wish to conquer the barbaric villages who worship Spirit guides instead of Gods. The theme of difference and xenophobia is heightened in 'Voice of Crow' when the narration alters - originally only Rhia narrated, but in the second book a captured Descendent soldier, Filip, lends a new moral voice.

There is a beautiful love story in the series, between Rhia and her mate, Marek, who is guided by Wolf spirit. Their love is instantaneous and powerful - and put to the test on numerous occasions. While the plot thickens regarding the village's safety from outside invaders, it is the love between Rhia and Marek that draws the reader in and propels the story forward.

I cannot express how much I loved this series. At times if reminded me of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' with a hint of Tamora Pierce.

The series is a tribute to author Jeri Smith-Ready who has created a fantastically real worl with beautiful and memorable characters who have a moralistic tale worth telling.

5/5