A to Z April: T Reviews - Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell/Tales of the Slayers/ Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth

Again the letter T has a lot of titles, so I narrowed it down to 3.  One of them is from the Buffyverse but each one in the series is by different authors, so I can't list that for sure in the title of this post.  And the other is the first book I read by an author that I think deserves more attention for her amazing teen novels.

First is Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell.  Ms. Chappell is an author that I feel deserves so much more attention.  Her books all have a great theme to them.  Some kind of hard hitting subject that you may not often see in stories, or at least they are not done as well as this author does.  This book I think was one of my first e-galleys, and I loved it.  I also got to meet the author the first year I went to BEA.

Here's the blurb for the book I'm spotlighting today from Goodreads:

Fin can't stop counting. She's always heard a voice inside her head, ordering her to listen, but ever since she's moved to the Sunshine State and her parents split up, numbers thump like a metronome, rhythmically keeping things in control. When a new doctor introduces terms such as "clinical depression" and "OCD" and offers a prescription for medication, the chemical effects make Fin feel even more messed up. Until she meets Thayer, a doodling, rule-bending skater who buzzes to his own beat—and who might just understand Fin's hunger to belong, and her struggle for total constant order.

Crissa-Jean Chappell's candid and vividly told debut novel shares the story of a young teen's experience with obsessive compulsive disorder and her remarkable resolve to find her own inner strength.

The second book is kind of a series.  If you watched the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series you know that there have been slayers all throughout history.  And we also know that there are those in training up until the current chosen one dies, and then one of them is called into service. This fascinating side series goes into the stories about the other slayers.  There are some great authors that wrote the different books in this series, included Nancy Holder, Christopher Golden, Yvonne Navarro, Mel Odom, just to name a few.  Here is the blurb for the first one from Goodreads:
A collection of original short stories based on the hit TV series created by Joss Whedon

Into every generation, a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, to find the vampires where they gather, and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. In our time, that girl is Buffy Summers. But Buffy is merely one Slayer in an eternal continuum of warriors for the Powers That Be.

We've known of others; The Primal Slayer, who stalked the earth and the forces of darkness in fierce solitude... Nikki, the funky hipster whose demise at Spike's hands lent an urban edge to his wardrobe and a bigger bounce to his swagger. Slayers by nature have a limited life expectancy; for each one who falls, another rises to take her place.

Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1, chronicles Slayers past who have influenced -- and are influenced by -- the traditions and mythologies of yore. From ancient Greece, to aristocratic Slayers holding court in revolution-era France, to the legend of the Bloody Countess Elizabeth Bathory, to 1920's Munich, each girl has a personal history, a shared moral code, and a commitment to conquer evil, regardless of the cost...

The last book I want to talk about today is the first in another series, it is called Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth.  One that I don't feel got the attention it should have either.  It was a science fiction type of story, about people who can communicate with the dead.  People born with violet colored eyes.  But their lives are not as easy, even though they have jobs just lined up for them.  Because now they have a serial killer after them.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
In a world where the dead can testify against the living, someone is getting away with murder. Because to every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. Both rare and precious—and rigidly controlled by a society that craves their services—these Violets perform a number of different duties. The most fortunate increase the world's cultural heritage by channeling the still-creative spirits of famous dead artists and musicians. The least fortunate aid the police and the law courts, catching criminals by interviewing the deceased victims of violent crime.

But now the Violets themselves have become the target of a brutal serial murderer—a murderer who had learned how to mask his or her identity even from the victims. Can the FBI, aided by a Violet so scared of death that she is afraid to live, uncover the criminal in time? Or must more of her race be dispatched to the realm that has haunted them all since childhood?

Have you heard of either of my authors I've talked about here that I feel need more attention?  Have you read their books?  How about the extra stories for the Buffyverse?  Do you think those sound like fun?

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Flashback Friday - August 22nd, 2014

Flashback Friday is hosted by Swoony Boy Podcasts and Fiction Fare, and it is a way to highlight the books that we read a while back, and may not have reviewed.  Here are the instructions:


Pick a book... any book that meets the following criteria: 

1.  Must have been published at least 2 years ago or
2.  Preferably is still in print or available to read

That's it!  Just grab the button and then after you post, link up!!!

Through Violet Eyes (Violet Eyes #1)

By:  Stephen Woodworth

Published:  August 31st, 2004

This is a book that I found while working part time at B. Dalton Bookstore.  And then I really enjoyed the series, although I feel like it ended before it was really finished.  There were four in the series, but I was left kind of hanging, and definitely I think there was more story to tell.  But overall it is a favorite series of mine, one that unfortunately I forget about when I'm suggesting books to others.  Below I've shared the cover and the synopsis from Goodreads.

In a world where the dead can testify against the living, someone is getting away with murder. Because to every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. Both rare and precious—and rigidly controlled by a society that craves their services—these Violets perform a number of different duties. The most fortunate increase the world's cultural heritage by channeling the still-creative spirits of famous dead artists and musicians. The least fortunate aid the police and the law courts, catching criminals by interviewing the deceased victims of violent crime.

But now the Violets themselves have become the target of a brutal serial murderer—a murderer who had learned how to mask his or her identity even from the victims. Can the FBI, aided by a Violet so scared of death that she is afraid to live, uncover the criminal in time? Or must more of her race be dispatched to the realm that has haunted them all since childhood? 

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A to Z April - S: Science Fiction

Today I'm going to share some of my favorite science fiction stories.  As a former science teacher, I have problems with some science fiction that is just too unbelievable.  But I also have my favorite areas of science, paleontology, space, biology, etc.  In honor of it being Tuesday, I will list 10 today for Top 10 Tuesday.  Won't give any comments, just show the covers so it will be a quick scroll through post for my fellow A to Z'ers.  Now, I know some people may not consider all of these to be "true" science fiction, but these are the things I consider to be science fiction.  And I will pick some maybe less well known ones in case you're looking for a new read!


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Wow, and I didn't even include any dinosaur books!  So many more I could share.  Do you read science fiction?  Do you have any favorite authors you think I should look into?