Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey

I love Jacqueline Carey. She is one of my all-time favorite authors. This book begins a new series by her, separate from her beloved Terre D'Ange books. It is a very different story from those books, but I enjoyed it, and I am really looking forward to a sequel.
Loup Garron is born in the forgotten town of Santa Olivia, where she is raised by her single mother. She has been named by her father, who had to flee while her mother was pregnant with her - he was an enigma, a man who had been genetically engineered, told he could not have children. Loup's mother and her older half-brother Tommy teach her how to be "careful" - she is not like other children. Loup has no fear, which makes her do things that seem strange to others. She also is incredibly fast and strong. She learns how to hide these things, because if the soldiers stationed at the base discovered who she was, she would disappear. Santa Olivia is not on any map, not anymore. The people who live there have been forgotten by the rest of America, and they are allowed no contact with the outside world. But as a teenager, Loup can no longer keep quiet who she is, although she still manages to hide it from the soldiers. She begins to plan a way to help the people of Santa Olivia.
Loup's character is fascinating, Carey does a great job of making her seem very human, but slightly different at the same time. I loved the actions that Loup and her orphan family, the Santitos, plan and execute. They're like a little team of superheroes, even though Loup is the only one with any supernatural powers. Besides Loup's actions against the soldiers, boxing is the other main focus of the book. I am not a fan of boxing, however, Carey kept this part of the book interesting enough to keep my focus. Overall, this was a fantastic book, and had a few surprises that I was not expecting. I am genuinely looking forward to the next story about Loup, as she learns more about who she is.
Oh, and this is my final book for the Pub 2009 Challenge. Maybe one day I'll get a wrap-up post up.

Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey

I really shouldn't even be bothering to review this book, as I am in no way objective about this series, but oh well. I love the Kushiel's legacy series by Carey. I spent my birthday reading this book, and I consider that a day very well spent. The world of Terre D'Ange is just so easy to immerse yourself in, and the story moves at a pace that drives you to keep reading no matter what. This is the sixth book that takes place in this alternate Earth that Carey has created. The main character, Imriel, has come clean about his love for the Princess Sidonie, but in order to prove that his love is true, he must bring his traitorous mother to justice. He is foiled by a plot to rip the country apart when magic makes all of those in the city forget about his betrothal and promise. They now believe that Sidonie was betrothed to the general of Carthage, whom she marries, causing Terre D'Ange to break one of its most important political alliances. Civil war threatens, as those who were not in the city when the magic was done can not understand why the Queen is making the decisions the way she is. And only Imriel's mother can help him undo the curse and bring Sidonie back.
Describing the plot of the book is entertaining, as it sounds a little bit ridiculous, but I suppose it is a fantasy. Terre D'Ange is a country ruled by the precept, given to them by their God Elua, "Love as thou wilt". All love is considered sacred, and by extension, so is every sexual encounter. Courtesans are held in very high regard as a result. A warning to any who would read these, especially the first three books in the series: the sex is described fairly graphically, and there are instances of sado-masichism as well, that Carey is not afraid to delve into. I wish that I was able to recommend these books more freely, because they are tremendously beautiful and engrossing, but the erotica aspect makes that difficult. But if you can enjoy that aspect of it, or at least get through it, then this is definitely worth the read.