Blog Tour: Six Moon Summer - S. M. Reine - Character This or That List

S. M. Reine is here today with a Character Preference list courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, Six Moon Summer. Thank you for being here, S. M.! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

Answered as Rylie.

Summer or Fall? I like summer better so I don't have to go to school.

Camping with a tent, or cabin? I'd rather stay indoors, thanks.

Shopping for books or clothes? Clothes.

Steak or Fish? Steak. A big, juicy, dripping steak.

Dressed up, or dressed down? Dressed down.

Zombie or Unicorn? Unicorns!

Cappuccino or Hot Chocolate? Cappuccino. I love coffee.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Dark Angel? Buffy.

Heroes or Heroines? Heroes. There's nothing better than being saved.

Urban or Suburban living? Urban.

Fantasy or Contemporary? Contemporary.

Movie theater, or Home theater? Movie theater, so I can be alone in the dark.

Guy friends, or girl friends? Guy friends. Girls are catty.

Books or Computer? Can I have my cell phone?

Sense of smell or hearing? My sense of smell is really, really good.

Thanks for sharing your preferences with us today, Rylie! Thank you both for being here! 

S. M. Reine can be found on her website and blog, as well as on twitter. 

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Rylie's been bitten.

She's changing.

And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.

Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over. She'll be a monster.

Synopsis taken from goodreads. 

Dust City - Robert Paul Weston

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that's who.

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?

(Synopsis taken from goodreads.)

Title: Dust City

Author: Robert Paul Weston

Genre: Young Adult, Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Puffin

Publication Date: September 30, 2010

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Vimala from Penguin Canada for sending me this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

My rating: 4/5

Dust City tells the story of young Henry Whelp, and what life is like for him, the son of the wolf who murdered Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma. The fairies have left Eden and Dust City, and they have taken their fairy dust and their happily ever afters with them. The drug companies start scrambling for purchase as they mine the residual fairy dust left behind. When someone Henry is close to dies, Henry will make some startling realizations that hint that his father might have been framed all those years ago. 

Dust City is a gritty, urban, and dark fairy tale recreation. I enjoyed how Weston reverted to the original fairy tales, and how he used the darkness within them to relay this possible outcome for what happens after the magic disappears. Many of the characters within Dust City are well known in their respective fairy tales, so it was neat to see them juxtaposed in this new, alternate reality. 

Henry is a wolf, though when reading his voice throughout the book it is easy to forget that he isn't human. Well, until certain things happen, but if I mention any more I'll be giving away some of the book, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Regardless, Henry seems like he could be a boy, rather than a wolf, but circumstances dictate that he's a wolf, and will always be looked down on as a wolf. He has the unique perspective of realizing his father has been most likely framed, and it is interesting to see how he copes with that realization, as well as the realization that things in Dust City aren't as they seem. 

There are a host of side characters who add a richness to the cast and to the book. I found it amusing to see what roles some of the fairy tale princesses played in this novel, and it was a refreshing twist on the whole fairy tale genre. 

All in all, a fresh, dark look at a promising, and unique world. I wouldn't mind reading more in this vein; especially if Weston is the one writing the re-imaginings. A realistic and raw look at life after the fairies are gone. I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of urban fantasy, dark fantasy, and fantasy in general. Sink your teeth into Dust City. 

Night Life - Caitlin Kittridge

The first book in a thrilling, addictive new series by a talented new voice in dark fantasy. Welcome to Nocturne City, where werewolves, black magicians, and witches prowl the streets at night...

Among them is Luna Wilder, a tough-as-nails police officer whose job is to keep the peace. As an Insoli werewolf, Luna travels without a pack and must rely on instinct alone. And she's just been assigned to find the ruthless killer behind a string of ritualistic murders--a killer with ties to an escaped demon found only in legend...until now.
But when she investigates prime suspect Dmitri Sandovsky, she can't resist his wolfish charms. Pack leader of a dangerous clan of Redbacks, Dmitri sends her animal instincts into overdrive and threatens her fiercely guarded independence. But Luna and Dmitri will need to rely on each other as they're plunged into an ancient demon underworld and pitted against an expert black magician with the power to enslave them for eternity. . .

Title: Night Life
Author: Caitlin Kittredge
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
My Rating: 2/5

The back cover makes this book sound so intriguing, so I was disappointed to find that the story and characters were more or less one dimensional. The story itself, in theory, was good; however the ending was very anti-climatic. I don't know if it is just me, but I spent a lot of time going back to double-check facts because I kept thinking I'd missed something. It took a long(er) time for me to read this book because I couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to. I DID, however, enjoy the back and forth between Luna and Dmitri. I thought the premise of the story was good, and I really hope that the next book in the series is better. I found that this book left you with more questions than answers though. I am definitely going to pick up the second book because even though I didn't love the book, I would like to find out what happens next. I would recommend picking this up from the library first just to make sure that you like it.