Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Blog Tour & Joint Review: “Bride”

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Book: “Bride” by Ali Hazelwood

Publishing Info: Berkley, February 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: eARC from blog tour!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.

Serena’s Thoughts

I was super excited when I saw this book pop up! Not only am I always on the look out for the next (finally!) great urban fantasy story, but I was intrigued to see Ali Hazelwood venturing into paranormal romance after releasing several contemporary romances over the last few years. I’ve read a few of them and really enjoyed them, but, still, contemporary books are never my real preference. So this was a best of both worlds situation!

And, overall, I found myself really pleased with this one! Frankly, at this point it’s just a relief to read a book that is told from only one perspective (I feel like recently all I’ve read are books with 2, 3, or more POVs). And on top of that, Misery is a fantastic leading character. She has a strong voice, both sympathetic and hilarious, and an interesting character arc. Her story explored the abuses that can be served on children by parents, as well as the prejudices that can rule groups of people. I also enjoyed that her motivation throughout this book was centered around her love and devotion to her best friend/adopted sister. Yes, the romance is the main relationship, but as far as Misery’s decisions, they were largely focused on this female friendship. It was a great balance to the love story and really rounded out the text; too often I feel that romances rely so heavily on their central romance that the characters don’t feel like people who have had any other relationships in their lives. Here, Misery is not only falling in love, but she’s also missing her friend and trying to understand her shifting relationship with her brother.

But, of course, this is a romance, and I really loved that as well! I feel like it would have been very easy for Lowe’s character to go very wrong. Indeed, there were several times where the character walked right up to the edge of a trope and I was halfway through an eye roll before Hazelwood neatly sidestepped the entire issue. I also really liked the brief little passages at the headings of the chapters that gave us glimpses into Lowe’s mindset. Honestly, more authors should do this! It gave us some insights into the other romantic partner, but saved us from what would have been a redundant second perspective.

Kate laughed at me for this next part, but somehow, even as a reader of urban fantasy/paranormal romances/fan fiction, I’d missed out on a certain, um, aspect of werewolf romances stories that apparently does pop up fairly often. That said, I’m super curious to see how readers deal with this aspect of the book! Hazelwood is an author who has previously appealed to largely normie readers, and this…is not normie! All of that to say, this book is definitely on the spicy side, so readers should take that into account when they pick it up!

Overall, I really enjoyed this! There were a few moments towards the end that did fall into a few romance pitfalls, which knocked it down from a 10, but it was still a highly enjoyable read!

Kate’s Thoughts

At this point I have read all of Ali Hazelwood’s romance novels, and have been a huge fan of hers since I got “The Love Hypothesis” on NetGalley based on the cover alone. I really love her characters, I love her banter, and I love how she can bring in some fun science-y topics to her contemporary romance (or at the very least geeky; “Check and Mate” wasn’t really science-y as I don’t consider chess STEM). But I, like Serena, was VERY intrigued by the idea of her taking on a paranormal romance! I’ve not read many of those in my life (though I have read a LOT of “Buffy” fanfic), so the idea of her doing it was out there. But I also trusted her to do something with it that I would like, and yep, she didn’t disappoint. “Bride” was just as enjoyable as her other books. Sub genre jumps come naturally to her I guess!

I’m probably going to kind of echo a lot of what Serena said, so to avoid just a repeat of her thoughts I will try and focus on some other aspects of this book that I noticed. For one, as someone who does love some interesting and expansive monster lore in my horror and dark fantasy reads, I very much enjoyed the social structure and world building Hazelwood had for the Vampyres and the Weres in this book. The long feuding factions held together by tentative but fragile tolerance is a tried and true trope, but I thought it was very clever to throw in how alliances with humans can so easily throw wrenches into these complicated relationships, and how corruption in leadership can make things that much worse. Having Misery and Lowe be somewhat reluctant bridge builders through a marriage, with their own places in their societies being tenuous and somewhat challenged, made for higher stakes than a mere forced proximity romance.

And like Serena I really liked Misery as a main character. She is definitely funny and scrappy, but she is also someone who has NEVER felt like she fits in outside of her relationship with her surrogate sister, due to never really being raised with vampyres but also not being human. It’s a great way to tap into the ‘not like other girls’ trope while actually making it feel genuine and totally understandable in this specific instance, and seeing her try to adjust to yet another group where she doesn’t really belong makes for an interesting growth arc for her. Making connections to others obviously doesn’t come easy, so having her connect with Lowe, and his younger sister Ana, led to some very lovely moments of a protagonist finding connection when she thought she could only have it with one person. And that made the slow burn romance between her and Lowe that much more satisfying for my reading experience.

“Bride” is another great romance from Ali Hazelwood! She is really showing her prowess as a chameleon in the romance genre, and I love to see it and hope she keeps on surprising me!

Serena’s Rating 9: Hazelwood does it again, this time mastering the paranormal romance genre as easily as she did contemporary! She makes it look easy!

Kate’s Rating 9: A charming romance, some well done vampire and werewolf lore, and some slow burn steamy goodness makes for a very fun and enjoyable new romance from Ali Hazelwood!

Reader’s Advisory

“Bride” is on this Goodreads list: Upcoming Romantasy Releases 2024

Kate’s Review: “From A Whisper to a Rallying Cry”

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Book: “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian American Movement” by Paula Yoo

Publishing Info: Norton Young Readers, April 2021

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: America in 1982: Japanese car companies are on the rise and believed to be putting U.S. autoworkers out of their jobs. Anti–Asian American sentiment simmers, especially in Detroit. A bar fight turns fatal, leaving a Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, beaten to death at the hands of two white men, autoworker Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz.

Paula Yoo has crafted a searing examination of the killing and the trial and verdicts that followed. When Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter and received only a $3,000 fine and three years’ probation, the lenient sentence sparked outrage. The protests that followed led to a federal civil rights trial—the first involving a crime against an Asian American—and galvanized what came to be known as the Asian American movement.

Extensively researched from court transcripts, contemporary news accounts, and in-person interviews with key participants, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry is a suspenseful, nuanced, and authoritative portrait of a pivotal moment in civil rights history, and a man who became a symbol against hatred and racism.

Review: Along with my usual New Years Resolutions of trying to get in better shape and trying to keep more on top of my household chores (both of which I have mixed results on every year), I always try to pick a reading associated resolution. And for 2024, I have chosen to try and review more Non-Fiction books on the blog, as I cover that genre, but haven’t done much with it as of late. So when I was looking for interesting books to take on, I found “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized The Asian American Movement” by Paula Yoo, I knew that I wanted to add it to the resolution pile. I had heard of Vincent Chin, who was murdered by two white men in Detroit in 1982 after a fight, but I didn’t know the details and didn’t know the fallout. I’m here to learn, and as I was reading I couldn’t help but be reminded that, sadly, some things never change in this country.

Yoo has written a well researched and powerful book about a horrible crime that jump started the Asian American movement in the United States, in that it unified the groups across the Asian Diaspora to find commonalities after Chinese American Vincent Chin was murdered by two white men in what was considered a hate crime (as witnesses said that the perpetrators were hurling slurs at him before the beating). After the murderers plead out and received probation and a fine, outrage reverberated throughout the Asian American community across Detroit, and then across the country. Yoo presents the story in a straightforward way, and presents perspectives from many of the people involved, making for a detailed read that covers a lot of the ins and outs and nuances and complexities. I could see this book being a fantastic book for a classroom when teaching the histories of various Civil Rights movements in this country, as it is written for a teen audience so it is easy to digest, but still tackles hard topics and examines them in ways that make the reader think while learning. It’s a very hard, maddening, and frustrating read, and Yoo captures the anger and sadness as well as the important stepping stones towards hope and solidarity that Chin’s murder led to.

This is such a great resource for those who are not only wanting to learn more about the Asian American movement in the United States, but also for those who want to see how history can repeat itself when it comes to racism and scapegoating during times of turmoil and uncertainty. The connections that Yoo makes between the automobile bust in Detroit and the rise of imported cars and the animosity it fed at the time, as well as the recent spike of anti- Asian American racism and hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, are stark and unable to be ignored. Yoo clearly lays out how racism thrives in times like this, and how it must be called out and laid out as unacceptable. Between this and the historical beats on the Asian American rights movement, this book would be a must read in classrooms when trying to teach these harder aspects of history. Yoo makes it very easy to understand for a YA audience, but it’s also informative and interesting for older readers as well, at least in my experience.

“From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is essential and difficult reading. I didn’t know so much about this story, and this was a great way to familiarize myself.

Rating 8: A compelling and devastating account of a murder that kick started a movement, “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is must read social justice history.

Reader’s Advisory:

“From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Social Injustice” .

Serena’s Review: “The Butcher of the Forest”

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Book: “The Butcher of the Forest” by Premee Mohamed

Publishing Info: Tor, February 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A world-weary woman races against the clock to rescue the children of a wrathful tyrant from a dangerous, otherworldly forest.

At the northern edge of a land ruled by a monstrous, foreign tyrant lies the wild forest known as the Elmever. The villagers know better than to let their children go near—once someone goes in, they never come back out.

No one knows the strange and terrifying traps of the Elmever better than Veris Thorn, the only person to ever rescue a child from the forest many years ago. When the Tyrant’s two young children go missing, Veris is commanded to enter the forest once more and bring them home safe. If Veris fails, the Tyrant will kill her; if she remains in the forest for longer than a day, she will be trapped forevermore.

So Veris will travel deep into the Elmever to face traps, riddles, and monsters at the behest of another monster. One misstep will cost everything.

Review: I’m a sucker for “deep, dark woods” books. I see that pop up in a book summary and you’re already halfway to me requesting the book immediately! Add on top of that a creepy, fairytale-like cover, an adult leading lady, and the mention of “traps, riddles, and monsters,” and yeah, I didn’t hesitate to slot this one down for review. And man, it was both everything I expected and wanted, and yet somehow also much more.

There was so much that I loved about this book that I don’t even know where to start! I will say, this is a novella, so readers are plopped down fairly quickly into this world and left to piece together an understanding of its politics and dangers fairly quickly. To accomplish this, the book relies on fantasy readers’ knowledge of some of the tropes commonly found in this type of book: a deep, dark cursed forest that everyone know not to enter; a cruel, tyrannical lord who is as brutal as he is unpredictable; and, of course, a leading character with a particular set of skills and a mysterious past. But while all of these elements are familiar, the fantastic skill of the author deploying them raised it all to a new level, allowing me to not only easily orient myself but to also find myself quickly invested in Elmever’s story.

She’s the exact sort of character I love: brave, but not foolhardy; sad and worn down by a cruel world, but unwilling to forfeit all hope; willing to take action, but also capable of dealing with the blows dealt to her. I also loved the slow reveal of the mysteries in her past, with the final clincher coming late in the story in a way that completely took me by surprise. Not so much what the reveal was itself, but how it played into the current events unfolding on the page.

This book is also incredibly dark and would comfortably fit under the “horror” umbrella. And while “horror” isn’t my preferred genre, I do like seeing aspects of the genre pop up in books like this. There’s nothing more disappointing than a fantasy book with a cursed forest that turns out to be fairly…tame. This is not that. Scene after scene buffets the reader with gruesome creatures, terrible choices, and the inevitable feeling that there’s no way Elmever can possibly keep this up much longer. The stakes always feel high, and by the midpoint of the book, I was frantically reading at a pace that could almost be described as “frenzied.” And on top of these horror elements, this book is dark in the sense that it tackles some very tragic themes. These characters have not had easy lives, and no one is safe. I was honestly surprised by just how willing the author was to fully go there with some of these scenes.

It’s hard to say I “enjoyed” this book per se, given how tragic and tense it was for much of the time. But I did love it and was incredibly impressed throughout the story. For such a short book, it packs a powerful punch. I never felt like a scene was wasted, unnecessary or not fully explored. Instead, the book felt succinct, sharp, and incredibly poignant at times. I highly recommend this one to readers who enjoy dark fantasy novels and are looking for a short, satisfying read.

Rating 9: Heart-breaking and fear-striking, this book will catch you up in its claws and wring you out, all in the best possible way!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Butcher and the Forest” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Animal Sculls on Cover and Cottagegore

Kate’s Review: “The End”

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Book: “The End” (Black Shuck Shadows) by Kayleigh Dobbs

Publishing Info: Black Shuck Books, November 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received a print copy from the author.

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A series of micro-collections featuring a selection of peculiar tales from the best in horror and speculative fiction.

From Black Shuck Books and Kayleigh Dobbs comes The End, the thirty-fifth in the Black Shuck SHADOWS series.

Review: Thank you to Kayleigh Dobbs for sending me a print copy of this collection (and for the adorable holiday card!)!

I have warmed up to the concept of short story collections in the past few years, as while I used to be skeptical, I’ve had a pretty good streak of entertaining ones that have come across my reading pile. But I had never heard of the concept of a ‘micro-collection’, until Kayleigh Dobbs sent me an email talking about her newest work “The End”. This newest book is part of a larger series, in which there are a small number of stories in each short story collection, which is, apparently, a micro-collection. Love learning new things! And I loved the idea of “The End”, which has six stories about various ways that the world could come to an end, all of which are supernatural. I was definitely intrigued, and I happily accepting the invite to read and review. And it was not only a new experience, reading format wise, it was also a fun time!

I’m going to do this a little different this time around, as while I usually pick three stories to showcase in a short stories collection, this is a micro-colection, which means there are only six stories total. So I’m going to review each of them, as highlighting half but not the other half feels strange to me. So on we go!

“The Claim They Stake”: A conspiracy theorist discovers that the unassuming elderly neighbor down the street is actually a lizard person. But when he tries to convince people of the truth, he’s met with derision because of his conspiracy theorist ways. Okay, full honesty time here, and it’s more about me than the story itself. Given all the stuff that has gone on in the past eight years, I no longer can stomach conspiracy theory stuff so well, even if it’s used in a satirical way. So while this one was admittedly a fun twist on the idea of conspiracy theorists being seen as crazy when, in this case, he was ACTUALLY CORRECT, it didn’t really click for me. The good news is that after this tale they all got much more palatable to me, so let’s move on.

“Just Like Baking”: Four witches are performing a ritual that has a lot of precise and intricate parts. So when one of them has to bring their little sister along, things start to get a little… muddled. This one was my favorite in the collection because 1) I love witches and anything to do with them, 2) it had serious “The Craft” and “American Horror Story: Coven” vibes, and 3) it was both hilarious at times and scary as hell at others. And the very idea of a witch being forced to bring a younger sibling along against her will is a hoot. Also, I think I MAY have spotted a Dark Willow from “Buffy” reference, and that is ALWAYS going to be a key to my heart.

(source)

“Catch Fire”: A married couple goes to the house of the wife’s sister, who has always been toxic but has always been given second chances by the wife. When they arrive at the dinner party, general toxic familial tension starts to turn into something far more sinister. This one had a dread that eased into building itself up, and I was on the edge of my seat basically the entire time. Watching poor Emily try to make excuses for her awful sister Jen, only to be let down again after so many betrayals was one thing. But the added twist of the story was the perfect metaphor for horribly family dynamics really coming back to bite you in the ass if boundaries aren’t set before it’s too late. Kind of like a Reddit “Just No Family” post to the extreme.

“Dead”: A woman wakes up realizing she is dead, and can see her shambling corpse as it starts to wreak havoc. This was another one of the more amusing stories in the collection, as poor Grace finds herself powerless to be of any help as her zombie self tears through the house and the neighborhood. I absolutely loved how hapless Grace was, as well as the references to the life she was leading up until her death, and how fun to combine ghosts AND zombies into something of a screwball comedy if a screwball comedy involved a zombie apocalypse.

“Omega”: A devout and zealous Evangelical congregation follows their leader Pastor Bob as he performs miracles, whips up devotion, and preaches of salvation. But one last gathering of his flock for what he calls The Reaping promises an eternity of peace in the afterlife, those who follow him find themselves face to face with a more horrible truth. This one was absolutely the scariest story in the collection for me, as it takes the idea of a fundamentalist sect with utmost devotion to its leader, and turns it into something else altogether. It’s religious horror, it’s the horrors of faith, it’s just so damn upsetting and really got under my skin.

“The End”: A meditation on what awaits humans once they reach death goes from philosophical musings to something a bit more jarring and horrifying. This was the last story in the collection, and it was probably the most outside of the box entry as well, with a somewhat second person narrative and an escalation from something theoretical to something cruel, taunting, and steeped in malice. It’s a solid closer to a collection that feels cohesive and bold.

So as a whole, I thought that “The End” was a fun and freaky collection that speaks of the end of the world, however that may look. It’s a quick read and one that I recommend for horror fans who want something breezy and spooky, while also being quite humorous.

Rating 8: An unsettling and at times quite funny micro-collection of stories about, well, The End, “The End” is charming and eerie and a lot of fun!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The End” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on “This Is The End…” .

Highlights: February 2024

It’s the month of romance! The month of candy! The month of feeling like Winter has been dragging on awhile, though in all honesty we haven’t had much of a Winter here in Minnesota this year. Add on top of that an extra day due to the leap year and it’s definitely February. And with a new month comes a new group of books that are coming out. Here are the ones we have our eyes on.

Serena’s Picks

Book: “The Butcher of the Forest” by Premee Mohamed

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I’m always interested in any book that hints at quests into deep, dark forests. This is the aspect of dark fantasies that intrigue me the most, those stories that brush up against the gruesome nature of many original fairytales. This story promises much of the same, with a woman tasked to enter a dangerous forest to fetch back two wayward children. But with secrets and dangers around every corner, is this task even possible? I can’t wait to check this one out!

Book: “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennet

Publication Date: February 6, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I really enjoyed Bennet’s “Divine Cities” trilogy when I read it a few years ago and have been looking for an excuse to start up with one of his series again. And this one sounded like a match made in heaven! Not only is the world-building intriguing, with a land plagued by Kiaju-like creatures, but the story also seems to be genre-blending between high fantasy and mystery, with its two main characters serving as Sherlock/Watson stand-ins. I also love the gender-swapped version of these characters with the Sherlock-like character being an older woman. Definitely excited for this one too!

Book: “A Tempest of Tea” by Hafsah Faizal

Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I haven’t read any of Fiazal’s other fantasy books, but I know she’s a very popular author. I’m also very interested in this kind of random-seeming resurgence of vampire stories, and this one seems even more odd than most! Vampires but also a “Six of Crows” style heist and also a tea house? Lots going on there, how will it all come together? I, for one, can’t wait to find out!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Almost Surely Dead” by Amina Akhtar

Publication Date: February 1, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I really loved Akhtar’s previous book “Kismet” and how it was the perfect blend of slow burn thriller and satirical critique of the wellness industry, so I am OF COURSE amped for her newest thriller novel, “Almost Surely Dead”. After Dunia is nearly killed by a stranger on a subway platform, she thinks that things couldn’t possibly get worse. But between a volatile ex, more attacks, and an escalation in the sleepwalking she has done since she was a child, Dunia starts to wonder if something else is as play. Something not so human. This has been a highly anticipated read for me so I can’t wait to dive in!

Book: “The Hollow Dead” by Darcy Coates

Publication Date: February 13, 2024

Why I’m Interested: The newest entry in Darcy Coates’s “Gravekeeper” Series is out this month, and considering how much I love Coates “The Hollow Dead” is totally a must read for me. Now that Keira is starting to piece together her past and her connection to the malevolent corporation Artec, she finds herself closer than ever to uncovering her forgotten past, and how she ended up with no memories in Blighty. And when Artec’s devious ploy to use the dead targets someone that is close to one of Keira’s loved ones, it becomes all the more personal for her to uncover her past and her connection to them. I am very much eager for answers, and I hope that “The Hollow Dead” delivers!

Book: “Earthdivers (Vol. 2): Ice Age” by Stephen Graham Jones

Publication Date: February 27, 2024

Why I’m Interested: I really loved “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”, and re-reading it for book club solidified that love for this time travel historical fiction series. And now “Earthdivers (Vol. 2): Ice Age” is coming out this month, and let me tell you, it’s a great follow up and I NEED highlight it here. After she wanders into a cave with the promise of finding her children, Tawny suddenly finds herself sent back in time to the Ice Age. Alone, unprepared, and also encountering dangerous animals (AND dangerous people), Tawny must try to survive in hopes of finding her missing children, even if she is lost in time. Look for a full review at the end of the month, but know that this is another winner from Stephen Graham Jones.

What books are you most looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “Sun of Blood and Ruin”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Sun of Blood and Ruin” by Mariely Lares

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, February 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: In sixteenth-century New Spain, witchcraft is punishable by death, indigenous temples have been destroyed, and tales of mythical creatures that once roamed the land have become whispers in the night. Hidden behind a mask, Pantera uses her magic and legendary swordplay skills to fight the tyranny of Spanish rule.

To all who know her, Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin never leaves the palace and is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. The respectable, law-abiding Lady Leonora faints at the sight of blood and would rather be caught dead than meddle in court affairs.

No one suspects that Leonora and Pantera are the same person. Leonora’s charade is tragically good, and with magic running through her veins, she is nearly invincible. Nearly. Despite her mastery, she is destined to die young in battle, as predicted by a seer.

When an ancient prophecy of destruction threatens to come true, Leonora–and therefore Pantera–is forced to decide: surrender the mask or fight to the end. Knowing she is doomed to a short life, she is tempted to take the former option. But the legendary Pantera is destined for more than an early grave, and once she discovers the truth of her origins, not even death will stop her.

Review: So, I went into this one with some trepidation. On one hand, I love the idea of a fantasy re-imaging of “Zorro” with a gender-swapped main character and taking place during the 16th century in the Spanish-colonized part of Mexico. So many parts of that premise have me interested, and, as a massive “Zorro” fan, I’ve been looking for a great version of this story for ages and have yet to find one. But on the other hand, this is one of those examples of a book that definitely suffers from its publication date. In that, it was published several months ago in the U.K. and picked up by various book boxes since then. That being the case, there are a ton of reviews available with readers thoughts on the book. And, unfortunately, they’re largely middling. However, given how excited I was initially and the fact that I often find myself disagreeing with the prevailing take, I still wanted to give this one a shot.

So, right away, I can understand why this book was a struggle for many readers. And while, as you’ll see from my rating, I largely agreed with the general consensus of this book, there are a few points that didn’t work for others that bothered me less. First of all, the book starts out in a very disjointed manner, with lots of jumps in time from the present day and then back in time Leonora’s days training in the jungle. I have no problem being plopped down in books like this, with very little information to start with, but it is a problem point for many readers. I will say, that while this basic structure wasn’t a problem for me, the overall execution of it was not the best. The way it was done severely impacted the pacing of the story, preventing me from connecting with the characters or really finding as solid footing in this world.

This was made more difficult by the need to rather regularly check the glossary at the back of the book to understand what was actually being discussed at times. Here, again, I like glossaries for the most part, but in general, I feel like they should support the story, rather than being required for basic comprehension of plot points of the story. This wasn’t helped by the fact that this is a very political book. I do like political stories, and, knowing less about this particular region and time period, I went into this one excited to learn more. However, again, the actual plotting and progression of the story that explored these ideas was so disjointed that it made the reading experience itself a challenge, and it wasn’t until the mid-point of the story that I really began to place how everyone was interacting with one another.

On top of this, I was disappointed in the “Zorro” aspects of the story. For all that we’re told that the Pantera is this badass vigilante, we get to see very little of this on the page. I was interested in the politics, sure, but I’m a simple woman at heart: I just wanted a bunch of badass Zorro/Pantera fight scenes, and I felt like that was severely lacking.

The writing, overall, was ok. I think the author had more success with her world-building and descriptive prose, however, than with the dialogue. Much of the latter felt stilted and scripted in a way that constantly took me out of the story. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I wasn’t super invested in the heroine or her love interest. There wasn’t anything actively bad about either of these characters, but I also simply didn’t care about their stories or their romance.

Overall, unfortunately, I have to agree that the general consensus for this book was largely right. Perhaps it will find its place with readers who are more interested in a political fantasy story than a “Zorro” story and who aren’t thrown by the slow start. But, sadly, my search for the definitive “Zorro” book continues.

Rating 6: Kind of a mess, with a plot that was all over the place and a main character who spent a lot of time telling us about being a badass vigilante, but less time showing us.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Sun of Blood and Ruin” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Historical Fiction 2024 and 2023 Debuts.

Serena’s Review: “Infinity Alchemist”

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Book: “Infinity Alchemist” by Kacen Callender

Publishing Info: Tor Teen, February 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: For Ash Woods, practicing alchemy is a crime.

Only an elite few are legally permitted to study the science of magic―so when Ash is rejected by the Lancaster Mage’s College, he takes a job as the school’s groundskeeper instead, forced to learn alchemy in secret.

When he’s discovered by the condescending and brilliant apprentice Ramsay Thorne, Ash is sure he’s about to be arrested―but instead of calling the reds, Ramsay surprises Ash by making him an offer: Ramsay will keep Ash’s secret if he helps her find the legendary Book of Source, a sacred text that gives its reader extraordinary power.

As Ash and Ramsay work together and their feelings for each other grow, Ash discovers their mission is more dangerous than he imagined, pitting them against influential and powerful alchemists―Ash’s estranged father included. Ash’s journey takes him through the cities and wilds across New Anglia, forcing him to discover his own definition of true power and how far he and other alchemists will go to seize it.

Review: While I hadn’t read any other books by this author, I was aware that he had written a good number of books before this one and was generally quite enjoyed! So I jumped at the opportunity to see what types of books he had in store! Plus, I’m always down for a good alchemist story! Unfortunately, however, I really struggled to enjoy this one. But, as always, let’s start with a few things I did enjoy!

While heavy-handed at times, I enjoyed the world-building and society that this book presented and the ways in which the author used these fantastical features to make commentary on the real world struggles and prejudices that people may face. I wouldn’t say any of it was particularly subtle or ground-breaking, but it also got the job done, and I think readers who enjoy a good social commentary built into their fantasy novel will likely enjoy this aspect of the story. I also enjoyed the unique take on the magic system, in which everyone is capable of alchemy since it pulls from one’s life force, but use of this magic is still heavily regulated and licensed. It sets up a good foundation for our main character, a young man who practices alchemy in secret.

But while this premise is good, I found myself really disliking Ash throughout much of this book. Yes, it is YA and Ash is young and thus somewhat excused for bursts of emotion, but this character really took it to new levels. He would react so explosively to situations that it was immediately off-putting, especially given how often these reactions placed him and his friends in more danger. At a certain point, “fiery” becomes just plain dumb and unfortunately, Ash crossed this line more than once. And then he’d swing wildly back to swooning over love interests the very next moment.

And this got to another struggle point: love interests, plural. As far as my romance preferences go, throuple stories are fairly low in my interest. For me, they’re like love triangles that just…continue. And all of the struggles I have with love triangles then just…continue. In that I often don’t feel like enough has been done to build up actual relationships between all three of the characters and everything quickly begins to feel superficial and like instalove (more really, instalust, given the lack of time/development given to these relationships). Such was the case here. On one hand, this is on me. If I had dug a bit deeper, I may have just passed on this book, knowing that I’m not going to be the best reader for it. But on the other hand, objectively, I do think these relationships are lacking in any real substance, unfortunately.

And, lastly, I do have to touch on some readability issues. One of Ash’s love interests is a character named Ramsey who is genderfluid. This is then expressed on page by switching the pronouns from “they” to “him” between chapters. I’m not sure what the solution is to writing these types of characters, but this approach really left me struggling and more often than not pulled me out of the story while I re-read sentences to find the context that might clue me in on who the “he” was at any given moment. Given that the character also used “they,” it might have been best to just leave it at that. I’m not sure if switching pronouns between chapters served any real purpose, narratively, and, for me at least, it took me out of the book enough times to severely disrupt my reading experience, from a practical point.

Over all, I really struggled with this book. While there is a lot of action on the page, I felt disconnected from all of the characters and had a hard time maintaining interest in their stories. Fantasy readers who enjoy throuple stories and are looking for a good fantasy world with social commentary built in nicely may want to check this out. But I do think there are better books out there with all of these things.

Rating 6: A dislike of the main character and a struggle with some of the writing mechanics left this one as a bit of a downer for me.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Infinity Alchemist” can be found on this list: 2024 Dark Academia Releases.

Kate’s Review: “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals” by C. S. Pacat & Johanna the Mad (Ill.)

Publishing Info: BOOM! Box, June 2020

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: The team at King’s Row must face the school that defeated them in the fencing state championships last year, but first Nicholas and Seiji must learn to work together as a team…and maybe something more!

FOILED AGAIN?

Just as Nicholas, Seiji and the fencing team at the prodigious Kings Row private school seem to be coming together, a deadly rival from their past stands in their way once more. MacRobertson is the school that knocked Kings Row out of the State Championships last year – but unless Nicholas and Seiji can learn to work together as a team, their school is doomed once again! And maybe those two can learn to be something more than teammates too… 

Review: We are back to an exclusive prep school and back to the highest highs and lowest lows of teenage competitive fencing! That’s right, I am now tackling “Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals”! It hasn’t been so long since I reviewed a volume in this series, but the stakes are rising higher as Nicholas, Seiji, Harvard, Aiden, and Eugene now have to move past the glories of being ON the team, and actually work AS a team when going up against the school that knocked them out of the championship contention last time! I’m honestly excited to move in this direction, as I know they’re all good. But are they good enough to get to where they (and we) want them to be (aka able to knock that entitled and cocky Jesse Coste right on his ass when the time comes)? C.S. Pacat has set us up for a tense sports moment, and I am happy to say that it was pretty well done!

I mentioned in the last review that I was worried that the fighting between Seiji and Nicholas was starting to get repetitive, but in “Fence: Rivals” we seem to be finally done with their antagonistic rivalry and find them in a pretty good place, relationship wise. I am relieved that we are seeing their relationship grow and change, and how Seiji and Nicholas are now confiding in each other more and finding more common ground, especially now that Jesse Coste has made his presence known, and intimidated Seiji after doing some demonstrations with him for the team. I love seeing Seiji rattled and seeing his more vulnerable side, and we are now getting hints that perhaps his animosity towards Jesse is a bit more than just fencing based. Clues for further storylines I’m sure, but I’m here for it because it is bringing more depth to Seiji, which is good to see. Heck, Pacat is bringing more character exploration to a number of the teammates, and is doing it in a way that flows well with the action at hand without overshadowing it.

Which is good, because I found the tournament storyline itself to be really well done in pacing and suspense! What I liked most about this volume was how Pacat really brings in technique and strategy of fencing and puts it front and center as King’s Row has to go up against one of their biggest rivals. I have spoken of my very minimal fencing experience, so some of the stuff in this is familiar to me, but I thought that Pacat did a fantastic job of putting it into context and explaining the set ups and strategies of an actual tournament (as at this point we’ve mostly only seen round robin tryouts as the team itself was being built). It’s presented in a way that makes it very easy to understand and never stymies the storytelling, but makes it that much more layered and informative. It also shows the way that the King’s Row team needs to fight back against their adversaries at MacRobertson, while dealing with issues in their own ranks (including Aiden’s flakiness, Seiji’s ‘only out for myself’ attitude, and Nicholas’s unpredictability), and honing them as advantages. It was downright riveting watching this tournament unfold!

And the art is still great. I don’t really have much more to say about it from other reviews, but I liked how the information about fencing is presented in this volume, and part of that is how Johanna the Mad designs the panels.

(source)

Our team has started to figure out how to work with each other! Now they surely have challenges ahead. And I can’t wait to see what happens in the next volume!

Rating 8: A thrilling competition and the promise of perhaps a stronger bond between teammates makes for an enjoyable fourth foray into the “Fence” Series!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fence (Vol. 4): Rivals” is included on the Goodreads lists “Graphic Novels Featuring LGBTIQ+ Themes”, and “Books About Queer People in Sports”.

Previously Reviewed

Serena’s Review: “The City of Stardust”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The City of Stardust” by Georgia Summers

Publishing Info: Redhook, January 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: A young woman descends into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge to break her family’s curse in this spellbinding contemporary fantasy debut.

For centuries, generations of Everlys have seen their brightest and best disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was just a child when her mother Marianne vanished on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. And when Penelope cannot find her, she issues an Violet has ten years to find Marianne, or she will take her place. Violet is the last of the Everly line, the last to suffer from the curse. Unless she can break it first.

To do so, she must descend into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. She must also contend with Penelope’s quiet assistant, Aleksander, who she knows cannot be trusted – and yet whose knowledge of a world beyond her own is too valuable to avoid.

Tied to a very literal deadline, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.

Review: I was pretty excited when I saw that this book was coming out this winter. Between the book description itself and the marketing team literally referencing “The Starless Sea,” it sounded a lot like books I’ve enjoyed in the past. I obviously always love portal fantasies, and I was also intrigued by the potential slow burn relationship hinted at within the summary. Well, I’ll say that it definitely lived up to my expectations of the former, if less so the latter.

I’ll be honest, it took a bit to become invested in this story. In the beginning, we meet a lot of different characters, all hinting at mysterious curses and histories that the reader knows nothing about. From there, the story proceeds to jump forward in time for different chapters for the first 15-20% of the book. At a certain point, even, I was pretty sure we’d finally landed on the time period in which the rest of the story would take place but…nope! Another jump was in hand! Once the story finally settled down a bit, moving forward in a more linear fashion and following Violet’s day-to-day exploits more actively, I found myself quickly drawn in.

I was also very impressed with the world-building and greater approach to characterization, especially of its side characters and villains. It is one of those books that has stories within stories, and as you go, you learn various versions of events and are left to piece together what exactly you think really took place. Even by the end, the book never feeds you easy answers about Violet’s family history and what really happened. The point, importantly, is that people are flawed, neither purely good or bad, and their actions will speak louder than anything else, so at a certain point, knowing the actions and results, some of the smaller details matter less.

Similarly, there was an equally nuanced look at some of the side characters and villains. There are many characters who you meet (or hear enough about to feel as if you’ve met) and who you recognize from other archetype characters you’ve seen in other books. With that comes a lot of assumptions about whether they are “heroic” or “villainous.” I was truly surprised with some of the massive swings my opinions of some of the characters went through, often ending up nowhere near where I was expecting, either liking or disliking character who I’d expected to feel the opposite towards. Similarly, the villain of this story is truly evil at many points. But the book goes out of its way to, not justify her, but to explain some of her own tragedy. Of course, this character is still responsible for their actions, some of them truly horrific, but it’s not left as easy as hating them for just being a “bad guy.”

All of that said, this was one of those strange situations where I ended up more interested in the side characters and villains than in the two main characters themselves. For her part, Violet came across as incredibly naïve for much of the book. She does have an interesting arc, especially her relationship with her uncles and her missing mother, and I was pleased that towards the end of the book, she didn’t simply let people she loved off the hook for their bad treatment of her. But she was still fairly frustrating for the first half of the book, which is always a bit tough to deal with from a main character.

And then Aleksander. Here was a character who had a lot of potential, especially with a deeper look into the primary relationship in his life, an abusive, manipulative one with his parent/mentor. But as he is the secondary character in what is clearly Violet’s story, his story was often even more frustrating. We would get small brushes of what his life looked life, but not enough to truly understand all of his choices. And, as it stands, it left him as a fairly unlikeable character for much longer than I was expecting. There came a point around the halfway point of the book where I felt we were finally making progress, but nope! It still took a good while longer for him to have an awakening to his reality and adjust his relationships appropriately.

All of this left the romance in a very uncomfortable place: in that the time spent between these two was always filled with betrayal, lies, and disillusionment. There is such a brief window at the very end to see any interactions between these two that read as a true moment in their relationship. It was one of those cases where I feel like the book might have done better pairing down the romance all together. As it stands, it felt like the love story was jammed in around the edges of an already emotionally packed story.

However, those quibbles aside, I still very much enjoyed this story! The writing was strong and compelling, and I think if you make it past the rather disjointed first bit, it quickly draws you in. I loved the portal fantasy aspects of it all, especially the magical histories between these worlds. And most of the characterization was nuanced and deep, though the two main characters were notably a bit lacking. Overall, if you enjoy portal fantasies or books like “The Starless Sea,” yes, this might be one worth checking out!

Rating 8: Full of magic and mystery, this book beckons you to dive into strange worlds, quickly becoming lost in curses and doorways.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The City of Stardust” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2024.

Kate’s Review: “The House of Last Resort”

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Book: “The House of Last Resort” by Christopher Golden

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, January 2024

Where Did I Get This Book: I received and eARC from NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: Across Italy there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives. It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize.

But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought. There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbor refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.

Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!

I’m always excited when a new Christopher Golden book is coming out, because he is pretty reliable when it comes to telling a nice and scary horror tale. Because of this I was clearly excited about “The House of Last Resort”, his newest horror novel, as it seemed like it was going to be a haunted house story. Which is always a favorite of mine. So I was a LITTLE nervous when I realized that it was also going to be a demonic possession story, as that is a sub genre that I’m NOT as into, just because of tropes that feel overused, and the tendency to sometimes get a little, shall we say, preachy with it. BUT, I do have faith in Golden as an author, and so I went in with an open mind. And I’m happy to report that he can firmly consider his take on the sub genre more than acceptable and VERY enjoyable.

So even though possession and exorcism based stories can be pretty hit or miss for me, Golden has written an effective possession tale that goes beyond the tired tropes of the sub genre and broadens the themes to include societal and religious complacency as well as familial/generational trauma, which I thought really added to the concept as a whole. The idea of the Catholic Church owning a house where they sent supposedly possessed people to either be hidden away until they were ‘exorcised’, or until they had died, is such a deeply upsetting concept, but also feels like something that would absolutely happen in real life. I also liked the growing tension between Tommy and Kate, but also between the two of them and the community as they start to unravel the secrets of this house, and also how much the people around them knew about the disturbing history as a ‘house of last resort’ for the Church when it came to exorcisms. On top of that, there is the scary factor of the idea of demons lurking in the crypts beneath the home, but also the idea that there were very much NOT possessed people there, merely people who were mentally ill or in crisis, and were abused and further traumatized by people who thought they knew better.

And the horror parts of this book are spot on, and I’m saying that as someone who doesn’t usually feel affected by possession stories. There were multiple moments where I found myself setting my kindle down to say ‘oh my god this is scary’, especially early on when the dread it slowly building and we aren’t completely sure as to what is going on in Tommy and Kate’s new house. Golden has a true talent for bubbling up the tension until it reaches a snapping point, only to start again at a higher level and to rebuild once more. There’s also just the all around scares of the secrets that can be kept from people, whether the motivations are well intentioned or because of a shame on the part of those keeping the secrets. There’s just something SO sinister about everyone around Tommy and Kate knowing that there is something deeply wrong with the house they are trying to call home, and not telling them about it as strange and disturbing things start happening. I do think that perhaps one reveal happens a little abruptly and sends a bit of the rest of the suspense off kilter, but overall? Very creepy stuff from Christopher Golden, and I expect no less.

“The House of Last Resort” is another winner from Christopher Golden. It had some really scary moments and a fresh take on possession tales. What a lovely day for an exorcism.

Rating 8: A scary tale about secrets, be they religious, familial, or community based. “The House of Last Resort” is a possession story that sets itself apart from the usual demonic fare.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The House of Last Resort” is included on the Goodreads list “Horror to Look Forward to in 2024”.