Aurelia
Anne Osterlund
Speak, Apr 2008, $8.99
ISBN: 9780142405796

Most if not all of the people in Tyalt envy Princess Aurelia, heir to the throne; however, ironically Aurelia envies her countrymen. She knows being a royal means pampering, but also connotes responsibility to her country. Aurelia dreams of marrying for love not state with some husband who wants to be the next tyrant; while her father the king expects her to marry whomever he chooses makes the best political deal for Tyalt. She would like to travel the countryside free to explore without bodyguards every step of the way and without fear of embarrassing the throne.

However someone wants the heir removed. After a failed attempt on her life, the King enforces her protection and assigns the son of his former top operator, Robert to investigate the assassination attempt. Robert and Aurelia have been friends forever, but both hide their feelings for one another. However, Aurelia is not going to remain cloistered nor wait for her unknown adversary to try again. She feels only she can save herself so she risks her crown, her love, and her life to do so.

This is an exciting young adult historical fiction that cleverly uses references to anchor time (“The Age of Reason”) and place (other neighboring kingdoms) as Anne Osterlund enlighteningly avoids dumbing down by treating her audience with respect in regards to their intelligence. The courageous princess wants more out of life than tedious nobles fawning at her feet at boring parties. She soon learns that sometimes you get what you wish for when several assassination attempts occur. However, that just makes her even braver. Readers will appreciate Princess Aurelia’s rude awakening to the downside of royalty.

Harriet Klausner

The Warriors
Mark Andrew Olsen
Bethany House, Apr 2008, $19.99
ISBN: 9780764202742

Abby Sherman and Dylan Hatfield argue over the differences between spiritual and mortal combat. They are Watchers; humans who hear God’s voce and can see demons and angels fighting one another. Dylan is with a black ops operation in Tora Bora; the place where Osama escaped in Tunnel Nine from the allies during the overthrow of the Taliban. The Watcher realizes he and his peers have uncovered a Principality; a demon hold on earth. He is the only one to come out alive, but those who saved his life want him dead because they are possessed.

Abby goes to Jerusalem to visit the Watcher the Sentinel who is dying but needs to deliver a message for Abby. A giant wave of destruction is going to destroy the North American eastern coast; to prevent onslaught Abby must find the summons in stone that will call forth the Warriors. Abby and Dylan meet up with both on the run while searching for the stone etching. Demon possessed American agents pursue them to prevent them from bringing the Warriors to fight the horde.

Mark Andrew Olsen is an expert at writing exciting faith based supernatural thrillers in which a chosen few are chillingly able to see the true meaning of Revelations. Most people are unaware of Watchers and the few who do rarely believe they are part of God’s plan, but instead assume they are crazy religious fanatics. Whereas Abby’s faith carries her through one crisis after another, Dylan’s doubts make him work harder at acceptance. Readers will enjoy this couple who if successful will prevent biblical calamity.

Harriet Klausner

The Warriors
Mark Andrew Olsen
Bethany House, Apr 2008, $19.99
ISBN: 9780764202742

Abby Sherman and Dylan Hatfield argue over the differences between spiritual and mortal combat. They are Watchers; humans who hear God’s voce and can see demons and angels fighting one another. Dylan is with a black ops operation in Tora Bora; the place where Osama escaped in Tunnel Nine from the allies during the overthrow of the Taliban. The Watcher realizes he and his peers have uncovered a Principality; a demon hold on earth. He is the only one to come out alive, but those who saved his life want him dead because they are possessed.

Abby goes to Jerusalem to visit the Watcher the Sentinel who is dying but needs to deliver a message for Abby. A giant wave of destruction is going to destroy the North American eastern coast; to prevent onslaught Abby must find the summons in stone that will call forth the Warriors. Abby and Dylan meet up with both on the run while searching for the stone etching. Demon possessed American agents pursue them to prevent them from bringing the Warriors to fight the horde.

Mark Andrew Olsen is an expert at writing exciting faith based supernatural thrillers in which a chosen few are chillingly able to see the true meaning of Revelations. Most people are unaware of Watchers and the few who do rarely believe they are part of God’s plan, but instead assume they are crazy religious fanatics. Whereas Abby’s faith carries her through one crisis after another, Dylan’s doubts make him work harder at acceptance. Readers will enjoy this couple who if successful will prevent biblical calamity.

Harriet Klausner

Keepers of the Flame
Robin D. Owens
Luna, Jan 2008, $14.95, 400 pp.
ISBN: 9780373802623

On the world of Amee in the realm of Lladrana, there is a war going on against the Dark an evil entity from another dimension who wants to rid the orb of humans. It uses the Master to send monsters against the people and the Marshallss and the C hevaliers fight them. Now the Master has sent something to the cities and towns; a new disease that the medicos can’t heeal. The city master Sevair Mosif pays for a Summoning of an Exotique from earth with medical skills. What they get are identical twins Elizabeth who is an MD and Bri who practices alternative healing. Both have healing hands and are able to cure the afflicted.

Both the twins insist they will return to Earth when the Snap occurs. While they are there they look for a way to heal the disease and later look for a cure for a mutation of the disease so the Chevaliers will avoid this fatal illness contracted on the battle field. Both women are accepted and people make it clearthat they want them to stay. Bri finds love with Sevair who is the first person who accepts her for who she is and Elizabeth falls in love on the rebound with the noble chevalier Fauchon. Tragedy strikes when one of the twins takes ill on the battlefield and nobody knows how to save her.

There is one more summoning before the Exotiques and their husbands go to the volcanic island where the Dark resides and try to undo the spellknot protecting evil; having two Exotiques summoned, the author changes the dynamics of previous storylines as each twin has their own story. Readers will be enthralled with this latest entry in the series (see GUARDIAN OF HONOR) and eagerly await the next book when the final summoning and battle takes place. Robin D. Owens is a worldbuilder who makes the audience believe in the realm she creates.

Harriet Klausner

Old Friends
Constance O’Day-Flannery
Tor, Dec 2007, $6.99
ISBN 9780765354051

Although she feels good for her close friend who just announced her engagement, forty three year old Claire Hutchinson feels depressed. Her clock ticking away and still she has not found a forever love and is not sure she wants too. In front of her buddies the Yellow Brick Road Gang, Claire hides her growing belief she will always be alone, but also ponders if that isn’t bad because she remains independent and, in spite of close caring friends, hides her darkest secrets.

At a video store, Claire meets Michael. Although she is taken aback that he knows a lot about her, she is also attracted to him. However, a death in her family propels Claire to her estranged relatives, which in turn forces her to look back at the incident that caused the painful split. However, she also learns why Michael seems to know her so well, which adds the twin pains of betrayal and being used to her already emotional mess even as he tries to persuade her otherwise of his intentions.

The third Yellow Brick Road Gang is an entertaining paranormal romance although it lacks the sharp suspense spins of the previous tales (TWICE IN A LIFETIME and BEST LAID PLANS). Claire is an interesting lead character as she has mixed feelings about falling in love; on the one hand she wants what her friends have just obtained, but on the other hand fears the cost to her independence may prove too great. Michael is the mystery as to just who he is. Fans of the miniseries will enjoy the latest member’s Metaphysical Misadventures.

Auralia’s Colors: The Red Strand of Auralia’s Thread
Jeffrey Overstreet
Waterbrook, Sep 2007, $13.99
ISBN: 1400072522

Except for her royal court, the Queen has outlawed all colors; thus the kingdom of Abascar is draped in dark gloomy grey as King Cal enforces his wife’s decree.

Two old thieves, Krawg and Warney, exiled from the House Abascar as part of paying off societal debts, notice the activity of crows by the River Throanscall. They investigate only to find a girl sleeping like she was dead inside a strange footprint. They take the River Girl who tells them her name is Auralia to their criminal community. She shows a talent to bring out the enchanting colors hidden behind the grey in everything. Her skills reach the monarch and his queen as well as the rest of the Four Great Houses of the Expanse. Will the River Girl prove the savior of the houses or their destruction although some wise philosophers point out that if she never existed, there would be nothing to save the houses from.

The first Auralia Thread tale is a magical inspirational fairy tale fantasy that brings to life the Overstreet world filled with colorful creatures like beastmen, vawns and the enigmatic Keeper. The story line is fast-paced with an obvious homage towards Narnia. Auralia is a fascinating character who keeps the story line anchored as her re-coloring the kngdom puts her on a potentially lethal confrontation with King Cal who has implemented his wife’s demand of a colorless realm.

Harriet Klausner

Heart Dance
Robin D. Owens
Berkley, Jul 2007, $14.00
ISBN: 0425216357

On Planet Celta Dufleur Thyme survived a kidnapping and attempted murder, but her ending is not happy as she found her father lost in a time experiment. She vows to rescue him and restore the family name. However, she must hide her research for fear she would be shut down; her sole witness remains her faithful Famcat Fairyfoot.

With his malevolent grandmother D’Willow locked away in a cryogenic tube in Nuada’s Sword waiting for a cure to her disease, GreatLord Saille T’Willow manages the Matchmaking Family House. His HeartGift leads him to know his HeartMate is Dufleur, but his grandmother’s evil prevented them from being an entry with her wicked interference that also destroyed the Thyme family reputation. He vows to make it up to his beloved, but she refuses to have anything to do with him even though she acknowledges who he is; his only hope resides with Fairyfoot who wants the best for her house mate.

The latest Heart fantasy is one of the best of this superior series as threads from previous tales are tied up yet newcomers do not need to read the previous thrillers to enjoy HEART DANCE and fully appreciate Robin D. Owens’ talent. The lead couple is HeartMates and each knows it. However, because of what his grandmother did to her father (and family), he has quite an obstacle to overcome to persuade her they belong together. The sixth saga retains the freshness of its heartfelt predecessors due to the entangled lead pair a sort of Romeo and Juliet cross-starred duet.

Harriet Klausner

The Quest for the Trilogy
Mel Odom
Tor, Mar 2007, $25.95
ISBN: 0765315173

After Grandmagister Edgewick “Wick” Lamplighter vanished while searching for rare books and fighting off evil doers, his assistant recently promoted Grandmagister Juhg wants to stay home studying how to establish schools throughout the realm. However wizard Craugh directs him to continue Wick’s quest so Juhg searches for three encrypted journals that belonged to the missing Grandmagister.

Upon completing the first leg of his literary quest by finding the journals, Juhg reads the Wick entries of seeking three magical weapons lost after the battle of Fell’s Keep. Craugh says these artifacts are needed to stop an evil person from employing a weapon of mass destruction. As he goes into the field on his quest, Juhg also battles the malevolent Goblinkin who care little that the world is in peril.

This is a terrific entry in one of the best fantasy series on the market today (see LORD OF THE LIBRARIES). The story line is fast-paced even when the plot pays homage to libraries. Especially fascinating is Juhg “reading” Wicks’ journals as if he is Wick (that segment is worth the price of admission). Fantasy quest fans will appreciate Mel Odom’s latest thriller in which once again the hero hopes to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Harriet Klausner

The Watchers
Mark Andrew Olsen
Bethany House, Mar 2007, $19.99
ISBN: 0764228188

Twentyish Abby Sherman is undecided what she will do with her life, but the deeply religious young woman is not concerned as she believes the Lord will show her the way. However, Abby is shocked to find out she has been contaminated with an inexplicable, deadly disease and given a short time to live. She posts her story including some strange dreams onto her blog. Thousands of women claim the same experience turning Abbey’s blog into a popular site and her into an online star. Abby feels she owes it to everyone to learn the truth before she dies and make it clear on her blog that she intends to pursue this quest.

Black Ops sniper Dylan Hatfield is assigned to kill Abby. He internally objects because he feels she has done nothing wrong to deserve death. He decides before completing this distasteful project, he will at least learn why this Abby is considered a danger needing elimination though he also fears the truth will make him aware that perhaps he is playing for the wrong team.

At times graphic, WATCHERS is a terrific exhilarating romantic fantasy with the emphasis on the action on the mortal and supernatural planes. The story line is fast-paced yet quite vivid and needs a warning label: once started one can not stop reading this book. Abby is a strong female lead who wants to do good deeds before dying although she confesses to herself that she would like to know why for closure purposes too. Dylan in some ways is the more fascinating character as he ahs always been the loyal soldier willing to die for his mission, but has doubts about the honor of this assassination. Readers will appreciate this strong thriller that circles this world and that beyond.

Harriet Klausner

The Physics of the Buffyverse
Jennifer Ouellette
Penguin, Dec 2006, $15.00
ISBN: 0143038621

Jennifer Ouellette analyzes the Buffy and Angel TV shows through the spectrum of science using several disciplines besides the obvious misleading title Physics to include zoology, and several branches of math (when did a curve become the shortest distance between two points?). Fans of the two related series will enjoy the deep insight into the biology of vampires, demons and other supernatural essences as much as the deep look into robotics. Also adding fun to the tale is the theory behind multidimensional portals such as wormholes and the energy displacement physics of a witch’s spell. Obviously targeting fans of the Buffyverse, but within that circle to an even more limited cell of those who enjoy reading the complexities of how string theory applies to the multiverse of vampire slayers. In short this reviewer enjoyed the convergence of science and Buffy, but not as much as my husband who tries to keep current on the latest theories in science and math.

Harriet Klausner