Tor (2009) ISBN: 978-0-7653-1869-5
Score: 1

Start of the urban fantasy series Aetherial Tales, about a bunch of elves who are forced to do things they know are wrong by their secrets and desires. I almost quit reading about halfway through during the heroine's wedding reception, and felt the ending was unearned.

Kate Elliott, Traitors' Gate
Tor (2009) ISBN: 978-0-7653-1057-6
Score: 3

Conclusion of the Crossroads trilogy, in which villains come and villains die, and things are resolved in a somewhat darker manner than I expected.

Next Book: Michelle Sagara, Cast in Ruin

Chad Orzel, How to Teach Physics to Your DogScribner (2009) ISBN: 978-1-4165-7228-2 ( Read more... )

Carrie Vaughn, "The Temptation of Robin Green"
Tor (2009) ISBN: 978-0-7653-2696-6
Score: 1

Story of military research into supernatural creatures, including Rick from the Kitty series.

Carrie Vaughn, "The Book of Daniel"
Tor (2009) ISBN: 978-0-7653-2696-6
Score: 1

What if the biblical Daniel was a were-lion?

Sherwood Smith, Treason's Shore
Daw (2009) ISBN: 978-0-7564-0573-1
Score: 3

Conclusion of the Inda quartet, in which the bad guys are defeated and the good guys try to figure out this thing called "peace".

Next Book: Hannu Rajaniemi, The Quantum Thief

Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Delacorte (2009) ISBN: 978-0-385-34230-8
Score: 1.5

Start of the Flavia de Luce mystery series about an 11-year-old girl in England in 1950.

Adrian Tchaikovsky, Blood of the Mantis
Pyr (2009) ISBN: 978-1-61614-199-8
Score: 3

Third book of the Shadows of the Apt series

Kate Griffin, A Madness of Angels
Orbit (2009) ISBN: 978-0-316-04125-6
Score: 2

smartass urban fantasy (will be sequels, but they're not needed)

Daniel Fox, Dragon in Chains
Del Rey (2009) ISBN: 978-0-345-50305-3
Score: 2

Start of the Chinese high fantasy trilogy Moshui: the Books of Stone and Water (though the name Moshui does not appear in this book).