Author: thelibraryladiesmn

Book Club Review: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch”

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We are part of a group of librarian friends who have had an ongoing book club running for the last several years. Each “season” (we’re nerds) we pick a theme and each of us chooses a book within that theme for us all to read. Our current theme is song inspirations, where we were given a random song from a random genre and had to pick a book based on the song.  For this blog, we will post a joint review of each book we read for book club. We’ll also post the next book coming up in book club. So feel free to read along with us or use our book selections and questions in your own book club!

Book: “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” by Melinda Taub

Publishing Info: Grand Central Publishing, October 2023

Where Did We Get This Book: from the publisher!

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

Song Inspiration: “You’re No Good” by Lynda Ronstadt

Book Description: In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you’re a witch, promises have power . . .

Kate’s Thoughts

When Serena chose “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” for book club, I briefly thought of how I was probably one of the least Austen knowledgable in our group of friends and fellow librarians. I’ve seen plenty of “Pride and Prejudice” adaptations (okay, two: the Keira Knightley one and “Fire Island”), I hadn’t actually read it outside of reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”. The good news is that through my adaptation consumption I knew well enough that Lydia is considered to be an obnoxious brat. So the idea of following her, AND making her a witch, was super fun, and I was excited to read it. And overall I thought that it was a fun adaptation, and it gave Lydia a bit to work with while still keeping her fairly obnoxious. In the best way possible.

Since I’m not as familiar with Austen’s work and the various paths “Pride and Prejudice” re-imaginings and revisits can take, I will mostly focus on the supernatural parts of this book. There is something really satisfying about making Lydia Bennet an aspiring witch, if only because it makes her just that more interesting, while still making her a bit of an antagonist through her actions as a headstrong and self involved girl with a loose grasp on her powers and the consequences of them. I love the idea of Kitty being an actual cat that Lydia glamoured into a sister for companionship, I really enjoyed the dynamics between the witches in the coven and how the social pressures and cattiness was still present, I also really liked the way that Taub brought in Wickham in a way that fits into the larger scheme of things by making him a demon and a bit of a caddish foil to Lydia (also, props on Taub for finding a believable way to retcon the Georgiana situation that keeps that vital plot point while also making a scenario where one can still kind of root for Wickham and Lydia to have a relationship, dysfunctional and bitchy as it may be). Toss in spells and curses and lots of witch and fantasy stuff, all while still being able to fit into the original narrative, albeit off page, is very well done. And it makes Lydia more interesting than just the vain and bratty little sister.

“The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” was a lark of a read, one that brought some fun magical mischief to a beloved tale. Even if you don’t like Lydia Bennet, this could be a fun read for a lover of “Pride and Prejudice”.

Serena’s Thoughts

Obviously I enjoyed this book. Enough to foist it upon the entire bookclub only a few months after I read it myself the first time. It also fit really well with this song prompt, as both Lydia and Wickham are villains (to various degrees) in the original story and morally grey at times in this one. And there is also a line in the song about hurting someone who was good and true, and my version of that line has it applying to Lydia’s choices regarding Kitty. Kind of a stretch in some ways, but no one can say our bookclub themes aren’t ambitious!

So, what is there new to say? As we discussed it in our bookclub, I was reminded of a few things that really stood out to me about this book. For some of our bookclub members, they struggled with the low level of action in much of the book. And that got me to thinking that this exact factor might be one of the very reasons this book stood out to me so well as a re-telling! All of Austen’s books are fairly low on the action front. There’s a lot of talking, there’s a lot of walking and talking, there’s a lot of dancing and talking, but there’s not much else really. So in that way, I felt like the slower pace and the strong focus on intrapersonal relationships really sold me on the concept of this book as a whole. Yes, there isn’t much as far as a deep dive into the fantasy elements, but I think this restraint better served the primary concept: that this is a version of “Pride and Prejudice” that could exist alongside the original.

I also enjoyed the irregular nature of the romance. This was another point that was hit and miss for some of our bookclub members, but I think, in hindsight, I also liked the way this played out. I’m not sure it would have read as well if Lydia and Wickham followed a more traditional romantic plot line. The way their “love story” plays out here is very much just the start of a possibility of romance than anything else. They are both true to their characters in that they can be selfish, a bit cruel, and are still learning how to truly value those around them. In this way, we see hints of a future for them, but it’s also clear that they aren’t anywhere near the finish line here. I thought this was a refreshing change to the typical romance plot line we see in many books like this.

For more of my thoughts, check out my original review!

Kate’s Rating 8: A creative reimagining of one of Austen’s more annoying characters, “The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet” is a fun and witchy side quest for Lydia Bennet.

Serena’s Rating 9: As satisfying the second time around as it was the first, especially if you’re interested in a slower paced, very “Austen-esque” style of fantasy story.

Book Club Questions

  1. How well did this book work as a re-telling of “Pride and Prejudice?” Were there any changes that stood out to you, either in a good way or a bad way?
  2. This book is told using an epistolary style. How did that effect your experience of the tale? Did you have a guess as to the identity of the person on the receiving end of this story?
  3. What did you think of the magic system and the version of witches introduced to the story?
  4. There are many examples of female friendships and sisterhood sprinkled throughout this book, some healthy and others less so. Did any of these relationships stand out to you and why?
  5. Lydia and Wickham are both either foolish or villainous characters in the original. What did you think of these versions of these characters and their romance?

Reader’s Advisory

“The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch” is included on the Goodreads lists: Austenesque – Paranormal, Supernatural, or Fantasy Books and Flipped Perspectives.

Next Book Club Pick: “Earthdivers (Vol. 1): Kill Columbus”

Book Excerpt: “Valdemar”

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Occasionally we are approached with the opportunity to promote books that may be of interest to our readers. And occasionally in lieu of a full review of the book, we will let it speak for itself by posting an excerpt from it. Enjoy!

Book: “Valdemar” by Mercedes Lackey

Publishing Info: DAW, December 2023

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

Book Description: The refugees from the Empire have established a thriving city called Haven with the help of the Tayledras and their allies. But the Tayledras have begun a slow withdrawal to the dangerous lands known as the Pelagirs, leaving the humans of Haven to find their own way.

But even with Haven settled, the lands around Haven are not without danger. Most of the danger comes in the form of magicians: magicians taking advantage of the abundant magical energy in the lands the Tayledras have cleansed; magicians who have no compunction about allying themselves with dark powers and enslaving magical beasts and the Elementals themselves.

Kordas, his family, and his people will need all the help they can get. But when a prayer to every god he has ever heard of brings Kordas a very specific and unexpected form of help, the new kingdom of Valdemar is set on a path like nothing else the world has ever seen.

Perfect for longtime fans of Valdemar or readers diving into the world for the first time, the Founding of Valdemar trilogy will delight and enchant readers with the origin story of this beloved fantasy realm.

Excerpt:

Valdemar – Chapter 1Download

Serena’s Review: “The Serpent and the Wings of Night”

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Book: “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent

Publishing Info: Bramble, December 2023

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

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

Book Description: For humans and vampires, the rules of survival are the never trust, never yield, and always—always—guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

Review: Vampires have never really been my favorite paranormal creature. It would be easy to blame “Twilight” for this opinion, but even before then, back when I was reading “Interview with a Vampire” and the like, I never quite understood the appeal. Especially not in the romantic sense. How do you form a romantic interest out of a being that literally sees you as food? That in mind, I’ve been a bit hesitant about the recent resurgence of vampire fantasy fiction. But I’m always hopeful that there is a book out there that can change my mind on some of these pre-existing skepticisms. And, here we are, a vampire book that I actually really loved!

You know how a week ago I struggled to write a review for Jennifer Armentrout’s “Fall of Ruin and Wrath?” Mostly because, while I enjoyed the book, I could also objectively look at it and recognize that, at least in this instance, the author’s quality of writing was fairly low. Well, here I am a week later with a book that truly highlights the difference that good writing makes. In many ways, these books are similar. They are romantic fantasy fiction, focused on powerful beings and the humans who are caught up in their scheming, and, ostensibly, they both have unique worlds (I use the word “unique” carefully in Armentrout’s case as it seemed that she recycled some of her own ideas in her book.) But from the very first page, it is clear that this book is operating on an entirely different level. The sentence structure was varied and dynamic, the author pulled from a large vocabulary, the narration had a distinct voice, and the dialogue was engaging and natural. It was a success in every way, and I was immediately drawn in by the style.

The world-building was also introduced organically throughout the story, while not bogging down what ended up being a very fast-moving plot. The versions of vampires we see here are recognizable, but there was also a lot of creative interpretation built into the structure of this society, the political conflicts, and the lore of this world. I was also impressed by the creativity brought to the Kejari trials. Each one of them felt fresh and unique to this world and its story. These weren’t simple battles to the death, but intricate and dangerous puzzles of danger.

Further, I’ve also read a decent number of “Hunger Games” style books with deadly competitions at the heart of the story, and too often this aspect of these stories often falls flat, with the main character surviving due to heavy swaths of plot armor rather than any real skill we’ve seen from them. Instead, here, we have clear insight into Oraya’s success, with it often coming down to her keen observational skills and her drive to push herself further than her fellow competitors, beings who have been able to rely on their physical dominance up to this point. And that’s not to say that Oraya isn’t a powerful fighter herself. I appreciated the balance that was struck here between presenting Oraya, a human, as an exceptionally skilled fighter while also remaining realistic about the disadvantages she faced when competing against supernatural beings.

I also really enjoyed the romance that builds up through this story. This is definitely a slow-burn love story. Not only does the book itself hold off on its main characters getting together until late in the novel, but the structure of the plot takes place over months, giving our two characters a believable amount of time to work together, develop a friendship and partnership, and eventually a romance, overcoming their original distrust of one another. Of course, the book ends with a fairly large reveal (I was able to predict some of it, but that didn’t make it any less engaging when it happened), so the story is left in a state of upheaval as far as their love story goes. But the author so neatly side-stepped many failure points in the development of this relationship that I feel fully confident that she’ll navigate the path ahead just as successfully.

This book definitely doesn’t shy away from the violence of this world, so readers should go in expecting bloodshed. It’s also a romance novel in that it has fairly explicit scenes when it gets to that point. But it also reads well as a straight fantasy novel, with full attention and detail given to the plot and world-building. I think this book would likely appeal to most fantasy readers in general, beyond the romantasy fans out there. I really can’t express how impressed I was with this read. These books were originally self-published, so the sequel is available on Amazon now. But I’m going to try to hold off on reading and reviewing the second one until it comes out later this spring. Gotta support Bramble’s effort to pick up indie authors like this! Who know what other hidden gems are out there?!

Rating 9: Expanding the boundaries of what romantasy is capable of, this book has it all: solid word-building, compelling characters, and a fantastic love story!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Serpent and the Wings of Night” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on Fantasy Vampire Romance .

Kate’s Review: “Where the Dead Wait”

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Book: “Where the Dead Wait” by Ally Wilkes

Publishing Info: Atria/Emily Bestler Books, December 2023

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

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

Book Description: William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace.

Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day’s chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens­­—the man who’s haunted his whole life—back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he’s done. Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism.

Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens’s wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving, as it becomes clear that the restless dead are never far behind. Something is coming through.

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

It’s now December, and the temperatures here in Minnesota are starting to drop and there are higher and higher changes that snow is going to be in the forecast. I don’t mind winter THAT much, especially around Hanukkah and Christmas, but I will say that by the time we get to the time of year with the holiday season behind us I do start to think that maybe, just maybe, less cold, ice, and snow could be a fun shake up from the norm (though maybe that invites a monkey’s paw situation with climate change, arg, I can’t win). But we aren’t there yet, and cold weather means cold stories are all the more powerful. So I start off the encroaching winter with “Where the Dead Wait” by Ally Wilkes. Because it’s good to remind myself that while a Minnesota winter can be arduous, at least I’m not on a failed polar expedition in the 1800s where starvation, disease, and cannibalism are the outcomes.

I truly believe that Wilkes has a gift for how she writes a story, bringing out evocative and vibrant imager and moments of beauty as well as horror. There were so many moments where a certain turn of phrase or descriptor flowed with a flowery ease that I don’t usually expect from a horror novel. I noticed this while reading Wilkes’s previous novel as well, and it feels like a unique writing style choice for a historical ice horror tale. I also really enjoyed a few of the characters in this book, namely Charles Day, the disgraced captain of a previous polar expedition who is haunted by the things he did to survive (as well as his sexual desires and same sex attractions), and Mrs. Stevens, a self proclaimed medium who brings spiritualist tendencies to the expedition seeking out her husband, who is now lost again on on the previous expedition with Day (and whom Day was very fixated upon). These characters worked for me, as did the themes of the spiritualist movement and the questions of validity that go with it.

But here is where I got a little hung up when it comes to this book. I felt like “Where the Dead Wait” has a LOT of similarities to Wilkes’s previous book., “All The White Spaces”. They are both historical horror books that take place during a doomed polar expedition (one arctic, one antarctic), they involve weird supernatural things in the snow, a conflicted protagonist, and a slow burn of descent into madness and desperation. I think that it’s a well done book in terms of these aspects, but it’s already something we’ve seen from Wilkes, and it was something we JUST saw in terms of the chronology of her novels. I wholly understand having an interest in a specific theme, and I absolutely think that an author has every right to write about what they wish to write about when it comes to that interest. But I did think that coming up so close upon the previous one it felt like more of the same. I think that what adds to this is the double edged sword of Wilke’s writing style. It’s very deliberate and at times flowery with some awesome prose and descriptors, but it can also be slow going because of those things. So yes, I praise it for being an interesting way to write and approach a story like this above, but combining it with other aspects that can weigh the story down makes it not as easy to get through, at least in my experience.

I’m not writing Ally Wilkes off as of now, as “Where the Dead Wait” had some great moments and some meat to it (maybe not the best descriptor, but so it goes). I do hope that perhaps on the next adventure out we’ll go beyond what we’ve seen before.

Rating 6: Definitely compelling with some great imagery and prose, but at the same time it feels a LOT like the author’s previous novel.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Where the Dead Wait” is included on the Goodreads lists “Horror to Look Forward To in 2023”, and “Queer SFF of 2023” (though this is definitely less fantasy and more horror, but still).

Serena’s Review: “A River of Golden Bones”

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Book: “A River of Golden Bones” by A.K. Mulford

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, December 2023

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

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

Book Description: From bestselling author and TikTok sensation A.K. Mulford comes the first riveting, enchanting book in the all-new Golden Court romantasy trilogy— A River of Golden Bones  begins a journey of self-discovery, romance, and adventure for a young heir as she/they comes out of hiding to save her sister from a malicious, powerful sorceress and her dangerous sleeping curse. A sleeping curse. A fallen court. A secret twin. Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan. No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court. Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to who could she be if she dared to try? Full of adventure, love, gender exploration, and self-discovery, A River of Golden Bones follows Calla’s journey through treacherous Wolf kingdoms, monster-filled realms, and the depths of their own heart in this thrilling romantic fantasy.

Review: I was initially drawn to this book due to the unique cover. It’s definitely a “second look” style, in that it is bright, colorful, and unlike any of the current trends we often see on fantasy books. That said, when I looked a bit closer and saw the golden wolf head at the top, it did drop a few points in my estimation due to the inherent “cheese” factor of it all. But still, it got the job done and I placed a request to check this one out.

Vampires are currently back in trend it seems, so it’s interesting running across a werewolf high fantasy book in our current environment. With werewolves come a whole lot of fairly routine elements and tropes, and I was fairly disappointed to see so many of them trotted out quickly here. We have the tried and true “fated mates” trope, the “werewolf protectors” trope, and, of course, a good healthy dose of fairly sexist stereotypes and society structures. And while the book does take an interesting look at the black and white nature of this aspect of werewolf society, it was very much presented through the lens of the main character’s personal identity journey. Unforunately, at times, I felt like this reinforeced other stereotypes even as it worked to deconstruct other limitations.

For example, much of Calla’s experience with her identity, particularly in the beginning of the book, is directly drawn from her sister Briar. From Briar’s figure, from the clothes Briar wears, etc., all of which is opposite of Calla’s body type and preferences. But we never hear from Briar herself. Obviously, she didn’t pick her body type. And what she wears says very little about who she is. It felt strange to have so much exploration of personal identity built around a character who was never given a voice for expressing how she felt about herself or her role.

I also struggled to connect with this story due to the competing content it seemed to offer. On one hand, most of Calla’s journey is a “coming of age” story and much of this exploration gave off very strong “YA” vibes. But then the romance was very adult, with a healthy dose of spicy scenes that are anything but young adult. The combination didn’t work well for my reading experience.

I also didn’t enjoy the romance. It felt very predictable, and I often found both characters at their most tiresome when they were together. The angst and drama was more annoying than it was enticing. Supposedly these characters had been best friends at some point, but we see nothing that would even hint at that sort of relationship on the page.

And then, to make matters worse, in the final conflict with the big bad, an individual who had committed atrocities, the climax of it all seemed to be the accusation made that Grae wasn’t going to accept Calla’s true identity. This, again, felt very YA. That somehow we have a battle going on with a murderous, horrific individual, and the real crisis is coming down to Calla’s own personal journey. Obviously, that is a crucial part of her and of her story. But one’s own individual journey and experience with others, while important, is not going to pair well when brought into a fight about life-and-death events taking place within an entire kingdom.

Overall, I struggled to really connect with anything in this story. I thought the exploration of Calla’s journey was unique and interesting, but it wasn’t enough to offset my dislike of the romance and my frustration with the strange mix of YA/adult themes throughout the book. If you’re looking for a fantasy novel that tackles gender identity, this one definitely is a creative look at the topic. But ultimately, this book didn’t work for me.

Rating 6: Fairly disappointing, with a mismatched combination of YA and adult thematic elements.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A River of Golden Bones” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best Queer Romantasy Books.

Kate’s Review: “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam”


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Book: “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” by Thien Pham

Publishing Info: First Second, June 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy’s search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do !

Thien’s first memory isn’t a sight or a sound. It’s the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It’s the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.

After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don’t get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien’s mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.

Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search– for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.

Review: June feels so long ago now, now that we are solidly in Winter here in Minnesota, but the reverberations of the ALA Annual Conference are still being felt in my reading journeys. One of the panels Serena and I attended had Thien Pham talking about his graphic memoir “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam”, and I marked it on my ‘to read’ list and almost immediately put a hold on it at my local library. It took awhile for my hold to come in, but when it did I was still very much interested because I had enjoyed his contributions and couldn’t wait to read his story.

“Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” is part immigrant story, part journey of self discovery, part homage to formative foods and cuisines. Pham and his family escaped Vietnam as refugees, and after spending time in a camp in Thailand they ended up in San Jose, California, with little money and few connections. Pham charts out this journey and the eventual settlement in a new country as immigrants, and while he talks about his own personal stories, he also references the stories of the lengths his parents would go to provide for their children. I liked how there was a lot of showing in this book versus telling, which is usually true about graphic novels in general, but Pham lets the reader see what his parents were going through, and what he was going through, with little commentary outside of what is going on in the scene. Pham shares difficult and scary memories, as well as lighthearted ones, and memories that feel pretty relatable to probably anyone reading it (ah the awkwardness of teenage crushes). And as Pham grows up in this new country, he starts to find new parts of his identity while trying to cling to the old ones as well. It’s a pretty familiar tale of children of immigrants or who grew up predominantly outside of their culture, but the personal notes make for a poignant reading experience.

And throughout all of it, there is the intertwining memories of food, and what that food represents to that part of his story. Whether it’s the rice ball that he savored after the small boat his family was on was attacked by pirates, or the Bánh Cuốn his mother made to make them money at the refugee camp, or the salisbury steaks Pham ate at his school in California, each memory with the food to anchor it reveals Pham’s formative years as he grows up in a new place that slowly becomes home. It’s such a testament to the way that food is a constant, and can be a gateway to love, family, memories, and how we interact with our world around us.

And finally, I like Pham’s art style. It’s not SUPER realistic, but it still conveys deep emotions in the moments that it needs to. I also liked the way he would make sure the food always had a bit of realism to it, especially when that food was reflecting that part of the story.

(source)

“Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” is a lovely story about food, finding home, and finding oneself.

Rating 9: A poignant and touching (and sometimes quite funny) story about family, identity, and the way that food reflects culture, “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” is a must read graphic memoir.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists as of now, but it would fit in on the list “Comics and Graphic Works on Migrants, Refugees, Human Trafficking”.

Highlights: December 2023

It’s so, so dark here in Minnesota, but at least we have all the Christmas lights going up! We’re trying hard not to remember that this is just the start to the long months of dark and cold ahead, and instead drown our sorrows in hot buttered rum and early batches of cookies. And, of course, there are always more good books to look forward to!

Serena’s Picks

Book: “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Why I’m Interested: I’m always excited to see self-published authors finally get their due and be picked up by one of the larger publishing houses, in this case Bramble, Tor’s romance imprint. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I know that she’s written a decent number of popular titles, so I’m excited to see what all the fuss is about! I’m also curious to see her interpretation of vampires and vampiric lore. I think I’m a hard sell on the whole “vampire as a love interest” front…just seems counterintuitive to have a romantic lead who also just wants to eat you for dinner. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong!

Book: “The Dragons of Deepwood Fen” by Bradley P. Beaulieu

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Why I’m Interested: While I have…complicated…feelings about “Fourth Wing,” I will say that I’m happy if its popularity brings on another wave of excellent dragon books! They are one of those fantasy beasts that always draw me in. Put “dragon” in your title, and at the very least, I’m picking up the book to give it a once-over. I’m also intrigued by the alchemist angle that seems to be incorporated into this book. We’ve seen a big “academia” focus in fantasy recently, often with scholars at the heart of many stories. But alchemists are essentially the scientists of magic, and I always love books that tackle these sorts of characters. Plus, like I said…dragon riders, it’s kind of a no-brainer.

Book: “Ruthless Vows” by Rebecca Ross

Publication Date: December 26, 2023

Why I’m Interested: Talk about a no-brainer! I’ve been on the “Rebecca Ross” train for a while, but it seems that she really gained popularity last year with the first book in this duology, “Divine Rivals.” So I’m sure this will be on many people’s December TBR pile. The first book ended on a fairly significant cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to pick this one up and see where it all goes from here! Ross has always nailed the endings of her series in the past, so I’m fully confident that she’ll pull off another success here!

Kate’s Picks

Book: “Perfect Little Lives” by Amber and Danielle Brown

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Why I’m Interested: This MAY be the last reference to ALAAC23, as I heard about this when I was at a panel where Amber and Danielle Brown were talking about their new book “Perfect Little Lives”. It’s about Simone, a woman who is haunted by her past where her father was convicted of murdering her mother, leaving Simone basically an orphan. But when a new documentary crew approaches Simone about her mother’s murder, and she reconnects with her childhood best friend Hunter, she starts to wonder if perhaps there is more to the story about what happened to her mother, and if perhaps her father is innocent. It sounds like a thriller that has a lot of potential, and I can’t wait to check it out.

Book: “Where The Dead Wait” by Ally Wilkes

Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Why I’m Interested: I enjoyed Ally Wilkes’s previous horror novel “All The White Spaces”, and knew that anything that she wrote next I would want to give a go. Enter “Where The Dead Wait”, her newest book about polar horror and polar expeditions gone awry. William Day is a former arctic explorer, who fell from grace when one of his missions ended in tragedy, death, and cannibalism, tainting his reputation. When he is approached years later to search for Stevens, his former shipmate with whom he had an intense relationship, and who has now disappeared on a new expedition, Day reluctantly agrees to join the search. But as Day, Stevens’s psychic medium wife, and the new crew go on their journey, Day is haunted by the things he’s done, as well as perhaps something else. It’s the exact right time of year to take on a polar horror story as the days get darker and the temps drop.

Book: “Salt & Broom” by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Publication Date: December 1, 2023

Why I’m Interested: As we are all fully aware, I love witch stories. I also really love the book “Jane Eyre”. So it’s just a logical conclusion that if you retell “Jane Eyre” and make it witchy, I am probably going to want to get my hands on it. Enter “Salt & Broom” by Sharon Lynn Fisher, which reimagines Jane as a witch who is hired to help keep dark forces at Thornfield Hall at bay. Armed with spells and tinctures, Jane is determined to help her new employer Rochester keep his house settled, but as she starts to fall for him, things start to get all the more complicated. This isn’t the first “Jane Eyre” retelling that brings in supernatural aspects that I’ve read, but I’m always going to be a sucker for this direction in any retelling, especially one of my favorite classics.

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

Serena’s Review: “The Witchwood Knot”

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Book: “The Witchwood Knot” by Olivia Atwater

Publishing Info: Starwatch Press, November 2023

Where Did I Get this Book:

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

Book Description: Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realizes that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself.

Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realize, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the centre of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust?

Review: Olivia Atwater came out of nowhere for me as a reader. On a whim, I requested the first book I saw by her, “Half a Soul,” and that’s all it took! I quickly read all three in that series over the course of the summer. I know she has another book coming out sometime in the next year, something about baked good and the supernatural (sounds perfect to me!) so I was super surprised to see this book pop up on NetGalley when I was browsing one night. I didn’t even look into what it was, so I was that much more surprised to find that it is a story set in the same world as her original books, only this time taking place in the Victorian era, rather than Regency. Gothic horror and gothic romance? Count me in!

I’ve loved this shift towards gothic fantasy over the last year or so. Of course, there will always come a point where you can have too much of a good thing, but I haven’t reached it yet, as far as this trend goes. I was curious to see, however, how Atwater would fair taking on this sort of fantasy story. Her original three books were the epitome of light-hearted, comical, comfort reads. But a haunted house story and the gothic vibes that are meant to pair with it, well, that’s an entirely different tone! Low and behold, not only was this shift in tone successful, but the book also explores some fairly dark themes regarding assault and the nature of what makes a monster. I was incredibly impressed by how carefully these topics were covered, all without losing the overall appeal that is at the heart of Atwater’s style.

While this book is definitely more dark than her original trilogy, it also fit naturally within the greater world that had been created. In the other books, we saw hints of the darkness that existed in the world of the Fae and the nature of their strict, but confounding, approach to the rules of existence. Here, those aspects are drawn out and painted in darker colors. This book doesn’t shy away from its moments of horror, with violence seeping into scenes, as well as some truly creepy imagery. That said, this is by no means a horror novel. Not only was it laugh-out-loud funny at times, but within the story was an incredibly sweet romance as well as an unexpectedly touching relationship between Winnie and her ward.

I loved the main characters, as well. Winnie was a strong central character, working to unravel the mysteries at the heart of the Witchwood Knot while slowly beginning to form connections to those around her, breaking down walls that she had long-ago established for her own protection. I particularly liked the slow-burn romance between her and Mr. Quincy. The beginning of the book has him firmly slotted into a villain role, and I was impressed by how thoroughly the author worked to change the mind of both her main character and the reader. It was done in a very slow, subtle way. I will say that some of the character’s physical descriptions were a bit, um, unnerving, especially as a romantic interest. But on the other hand, I’m impressed with Atwater’s sheer audacity at just going with it and not trying to magic away the “otherness.”

I loved this book! It was right up there with “Half a Soul” as one of my favorites by this author. I’ve enjoyed all of her books, for sure, but I did appreciate this one more than some for the more serious themes at its heart. The balance felt more complete, with the lightness mixing naturally alongside the darker shades of grey, creating a more fulfilling read all around. Definitely check this one out if you’re a fan of this author or are looking for a solid stand-alone gothic fantasy novel!

Rating 9: Gothic fantasy at its finest, Atwater brilliantly combines her natural light-hearted style with the exploration of darker themes of redemption and what makes a monster.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Witchwood Knot” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Haunted House Stories and Gothic Fantasy Books.

Kate’s Review: “Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh”

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Book: “Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh” by C.J. Weiss

Publishing Info: Self Published, October 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from the author.

Where You Can Get This Book: Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: A historically malevolent haunted house threatens to end a line of paranormal guardians. Will the family’s latest addition tip the scales in their favor or hurtle them toward their demise?

Garrett Mueller proposes to his girlfriend, Marie Renault. She rejects him, distressing him until he learns why. Her family watches over a haunted house, where every several years a Breach opens to the world of the dead. Everyone related by blood or oath must return, or the Breach widens, endangering the family and world at large. To marry Marie, he must also bind himself to that house.

The Renaults estimate a week until the Breach opens, offering Garrett a short trial period. Despite the risks, he will try it for the woman he loves. The Renaults are professionals when it comes to the supernatural, and they’ve always prevailed. Only, as the week progresses, the family discovers this Breach is shaping up to be one of historically dangerous proportions. Risks mount higher as secrets leak out, threatening to divide the family. And even if Garrett changes his mind, it might be too late to leave.

Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh combines atmospheric haunted house horror with dark family drama, topped with a layer of unsettling worldbuilding. Readers who like smart characters taking on smart foes, deep delves into the supernatural, and twisty psychological narratives will feel right at home. This novel is part of the Virulent Nightmare Origins series and can be read as a standalone or as part of the series in any order.

Review: Thank you to C.J. Weiss for sending me an eARC of this novel!

I was definitely interested in “Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh” by C.J. Weiss, a story about a young man named Garrett, whose proposal to his girlfriend Marie goes awry when she says no. But when she tells him it’s because her family has to hold back supernatural forces from a Breach every few years, and it means dropping EVERYTHING to try and keep these things at bay, Garrett doesn’t really believe her, and agrees to attend the newest Breach period with her family if it means she will give him another chance. That alone sounds interesting and unique. And then when it sounded like family dysfunction and trauma was a huge component a la Mike Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Hill House”, I was all the more intrigued! Bring on the messiness of human relationships to make the ghost problem that much more complicated. So I jumped in and was interested in what I would find.

The ghost mythos and world building is pretty well done in this book! It helps having a newcomer to the Renault Family in Garrett, as him being wholly unfamiliar with The Breach, mekari (aka demonic entities), and all the other supernatural aspects means that he is going to get a crash course that we as the readers get to see first hand. We get a good family connection to The Breach, as well as some creative different subtypes of haunts, be they ghosts or demons, and the ways they can mess with those trying to keep them out. I enjoyed the uncertainty that we were seeing through Garrett, as the assurance is that you will spot a possessed person vis a vis their behavior being off or strange doesn’t REALLY help someone who has just met this family outside of new fiancee Marie. It’s an effective way to build suspense, and it makes the tension build relentlessly at times. There are plenty of moments that come completely out of nowhere as well, and as The Breach gets more and more powerful the horror elements all come to a suspenseful and scary head.

But adding to the tension is the fact that all is not well in the Renault Family during this historical Breach, and that family secrets are starting to come tumbling out as more and more danger comes forth. Not only between immediately family members, but also between lovebirds Garrett and Marie. I will say that I found Garrett to be completely nuts putting EVERYTHING in his life on hold for Marie after they had been together for a kind of brief amount of time, but it kind of works because it shows that he is making a HUGE, unknown commitment for a woman that he doesn’t know all sides of, and how sometimes that can lead to trouble. And trouble comes calling as the Renaults start to turn on each other, lash out, and reveal betrayals that could put all of them in danger as it chips away at their untied front in this ghostly service that leaves the world in the balance. I love a good family drama, so seeing all of these very human problems start to tumble out and cause even more problems was a nice combination. I do like my horror stories to have some nice real world metaphors, and while sometimes this could feel like it stilted the pacing a bit (or just reinforced my disdain at Garrett impetuously going all in on Marie, as well as with her for letting him do so without some fully informed consent until it was too late), it worked well in this. I wish we’d had a little more exploration of all the family members, as some felt more fleshed out than others.

With a good mix of well conceived horror mythology and family drama, “Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh” is a fun and spooky haunted house story. And just remember, your family may have some dysfunction, but at least you don’t have to battle ghosts on top of all that. It’s the little things.

Rating 7: A haunted house story that is also filled with family secrets and drama, “Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh” is a nerve wracking read, and not just because of the ghosts.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Secret’s Gnaw at the Flesh” isn’t included on any Goodreads lists as of now, but I think it would fit in on “Haunted House Stories”.

Serena’s Review: “Fall of Ruin and Wrath”

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Book: “Fall of Wrath and Ruin” by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publishing Info: Bramble, September 2023

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

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

Book Description: Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he’ll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.

Review: I’ve used this gif before in my “Great Animorphs Re-Read” several years ago, but it’s just to apropos for my feelings now whenever I see that Jennifer Armentrout is coming out with a new romantasy title:

Am I expecting a work of art? No. Am I concerned that, even if I enjoy the first book, the series as a whole will quickly nose dive into nonsense? Yes. But will I still pick it up out of sheer, self-destructive curiosity? Yeah, probably. Plus, Bramble picked up this series, and I was curious to see how Armentrout did in the hands of a large publishing house. Would they be able to wrangle in her use of ellipses? (Spoiler: no, no they could not.)

This is another tough review to write, simply because I did enjoy myself reading this book, but I also can look at it critically and see a good number of flaws. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about Armentrout’s style, or her near perfect understanding of how to best employ romance tropes, that always manages to reel me in, almost despite myself as a critical reader. So let’s start with the obvious pros, and the first one is just that: readability. I whipped through this book in no time. Partly this is because much of the world-building, characters, and magic felt very familiar from other books and didn’t require much thought from me. But the other part is that the style of writing is very approachable and sure to suck readers in. The story could be funny when it wanted, dramatic when it needed to be, and even suspenseful as the action picked up towards the ends.

I will also say that if you enjoy spicy romance, this is the book for you. Conversely, if you don’t enjoy smutty books, this is NOT the book for you. While there is a plot, if you dig around and really look, this book is definitely more focused on its characters and the steamy situations they get themselves into. Perhaps even more so than the other books I’ve read, this book leans in on these scenes, sometimes unnecessarily so, I felt. There was one moment I can remember from early in the book where the main character is having a conversation with one of her friends, and of course they can’t just talk together, they have to be messing around at the same time. This is where the spiciness was a bit much for me. This scene wasn’t part of the central romance, these two characters were actually discussing important things, but for some reason we needed to up the ante and add erotica to the situation.

I did enjoy the central romance, however. Yes, it will feel very familiar to fans of Armentrout’s other books, but it was also satisfying in a similar way. This dynamic between romantic characters clearly works, and I’m definitely a “don’t fix what’s not broken” type of person. That said, the love story, like the characters and the world-building did feel almost TOO familiar at times. As I was reading this book, there were aspects of the world and its magic that honestly felt like “cut and paste” copies of Armentrout’s “Blood and Ash” series. The types of beings that populate the world, Calista’s role as a “special person” with hints of “super specialness” being laid down heavily, even some of the supernatural threats felt like almost exact carbon copies of ones I’ve seen before from her. So, while I was having a fun time and all, I also couldn’t get over the feeling that the author had picked up scraps from her other books and cobbled them into a new story here. Not only did this all seem familiar, but I feel like I can easily see the road this series will travel and, man, does that look familiar, too.

And, alas, the ellipses. I had real hopes that the editors over at Bramble could have exerted some more copyediting control and beaten this writing tic into submission. And yet I feel like there are even more here than in other books! And the more you notice it, the worse it gets. There are, you know, words that can be used to convey hesitation, caution, uncertainty. But instead, every time, she falls back on simply inserting ellipses before, between, and after words. I know she’s a best-selling, popular author. But there’s always room for improvement and this is where professional editors are needed most, places where writers are stuck in certain habits.

So where does this leave us. Like I said, for all of its flaws, my level of enjoyment was mostly around an 8. This is the definition of a “guilty pleasure” read for me. I liked it probably more than it deserves, and I’m fully prepared to flame out on it the same way I did with her other series. On the other hand, objectively, this book felt very familiar to other books she’s written, the spice-levels were verging on ridiculous, and some of her writing bad habits were on full display. So this would probably land it around a 6. To be fair, we’re giving it a solid 7, and you can do with that what you will!

Rating 7: I enjoyed the heck out of this book and judged myself for it the entire time.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fall of Ruin and Wrath” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Deja Title: _ of _ and _ and 2023 – September Fantasy Releases