Category: Serena’s Reviews

Serena’s Review: “A River Enchanted”

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Book: “A River Enchanted” by Rebecca Ross

Publishing Info: HarperVoyager, February 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on the magical Isle of Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armour, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that live there find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home, but that mischief turns to malevolence as girls begin to go missing.

Adaira, heiress of the east, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, enticing them to return the missing girls. But there’s only one bard capable of drawing the spirits forth by song: her childhood enemy Jack Tamerlaine.

He hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university, but as Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than first thought and an older, darker secret lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

Review: There’s another cover for this book listed on Goodreads, as well, so I’m not sure exactly which one will be used when the book comes out (I suspect one cover is the U.S. cover and the other U.K.?) But I preferred this one, so that’s what we have here! The colors are lovely and the flowers speak to an important part of the story itself. It wasn’t the cover I saw when I requested an ARC, however, so what really drew me in was the description itself which made it sound like the kind of fantasy novel that Juliet Marillier would write. And that’s all I needed!

It is a dark and stormy night and Jack Tamerlaine is returning to his island home, a land riddled with magic and mystery. After spending his last years learning music, he never planned on returning. That is, not until he received a summons from his childhood rival and the heir to the land, Adaira. Once home, he discovers a mystery of young girls going missing. But it’s unclear whether magical forces are at work or whether it’s the war-like people who occupy the other half of the island who are behind the disappearances. Adaira’s hopes, however, expand beyond simply recovering the missing girls; she hopes to finally bring together both sides of the island, something that hasn’t been attempted for years after the last try went so badly wrong that it struck at the core of magic itself.

I really loved this book. Right from the very first moment, it starts off with the type of lyrical, atmospheric writing that I love to see in fantasy fiction. There’s something about this style that lends the story a fairytale-like feeling, even if the tale itself is completely original and not drawing from any well-known folktales. Ross’s language was able to fully ground the story in a mystical land where words that are spoken can travel on the wind to ears far away, where powerful beings can be summoned with the right strums of a harp’s strings, and where legends as old as time still live and can be stumbled upon if you take a wrong turn while wandering off the roads.

For all of this excellent world-building, the author was equally good at centering the story around several different characters who had very different arcs and challenges throughout the story. The book description misrepresents the characters at the heart of this story. We do, of course, spend a good amount of time with Jack and Adaira. Jack’s story is one of homecoming, full of memories of people who now, essentially, no longer exist being so changed now after the passage of time. He must learn to reconcile the emotions and views of the child he was when he left with what he sees now: flawed people all trying to do the best they can. Adaira’s story is bit more simple; she’s introduced as a beloved and competent leader of her land and, for 99% of the book, that’s what she remains. There are several twists towards the end that give her story more heft, in hindsight. But I was also fully satisfied with her more straight-forward arc on its own as well. However, while Jack and Adaira are central characters, and their slow-burn romance and attempts to solve the mystery of the missing girls drives much of the story, there are two other characters who also get a decent amount of page time.

Sidra and Torin are two “older” characters, probably in the mid-thirties or so? Together they have raised Torin’s daughter whose mother died shortly after her birth. Through these two, the story dives into some deeper topics involving duty, loss of faith, and the commitments that we have to one another that can lead to love, even if they didn’t start as such. These two other characters were both a surprise but also the firmer foundation upon which the rest of the story worked. While I enjoyed Jack and Adaira, their story was more straightforward and, to some extent, predictable. But through Sidra and Torin, we are able to explore an aspect of love much less often touched upon: the kind that develops slowly, over years, and, like faith itself, relies as much on our decision to love and to believe as anything else.

I strongly recommend this book to fans of fantasy fiction, especially those who enjoy literary fantasy or fairytale fantasies. It’s also a refreshing example of adult fantasy fiction and how you can incorporate the “new love” romance that is typically found in YA fantasy while also touching on themes more often found in adult stories.

Rating 9: Lyrical and atmospheric, this story touches on love of all kinds and delves into all the beauty and pain that can be found there.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A River Enchanted” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on “Music in Fantasy.”

Monthly Marillier: “Heart’s Blood”

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“Monthly Marillier” is a review series that is, essentially, an excuse for me to go back and re-read one of my favorite author’s back catalog. Ever since I first discovered her work over fifteen years ago, Juliet Marillier has been one of my favorite authors. Her stories are the perfect mixture of so many things I love: strong heroines, beautiful romances, fairytale-like magic, and whimsical writing. Even better, Marillier is a prolific author and has regularly put out new books almost once a year since I began following her. I own almost all of them, and most of those I’ve read several times. Tor began re-releasing her original Sevenwaters trilogy, so that’s all the excuse I needed to begin a new series in which I indulge myself in a massive re-read of her books. I’ll be posting a new entry in this series on the first Friday of every month.

Book: “Heart’s Blood” by Juliet Marillier

Publishing Info: Tor/Pan Macmillan UK, October 2009

Where Did I Get this Book: own it!

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

Book Description: Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious, wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress of a chieftain whose name is spoken throughout the district in tones of revulsion and bitterness. A curse lies over Anluan’s family and his people; those woods hold a perilous force whose every whisper threatens doom.

For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to go seems exactly what she needs, for Caitrin is fleeing her own demons. As Caitrin comes to know Anluan and his home in more depth she realizes that it is only through her love and determination that the curse can be broken and Anluan and his people set free.

Review: This is another of Marillier’s few stand-alone novels. It’s also one of her more straightforward fairytale retellings, this time tackling the beloved “Beauty and the Beast.” I have fairly high-standards for retellings of this classic tale, as the premise sets up a situation that could trend towards an unhealthy romantic relationship (though I don’t buy into the general “Stockholme syndrome” complaint as leveled at every version of the story). But from the author who has delivered favorites on some of my other preferred fairytales….you know I’m going to rave about this one!

As a woman, Caitrin’s work as a scribe would never be accepted. Instead, her work has been passed off as her father’s and used to support their family. But when he passes, Caitrin is left with few options and finds her only refuge in the mysterious and remote Whisteling Tor. There, where strangeness lies around every corner, Caitrin meets Anluan, a young man bearing the terrible curse laid on his home. Each with their secrets and demons, the two find refuge in the blooming relationship between them. But darkness is rising, and soon their fragile bond will be tested.

So, why bother with any pretenses? Obviously, I loved this book. Marillier does have books that aren’t big hits for me, both those are often found in her series. Thinking it over now, I’m not sure there’s a single fairytale retelling of hers that I don’t count as one of my favorites. But “Beauty and the Beast” holds a special place in my heart, so it’s all the better that Marillier nailed this particular tale.

To start with, both Caitrin and Anluan are excellent characters, bringing new takes on the classic “beauty” and “beast.” Caitrin, instead of simply being book-loving, is a scribe who has worked behind the shadow of her father for years and seeks out Whistling Tor as a refuge, rather than a forced-upon-her cage. Anluan is also not a beast in any real understanding of the world. Reclusive and secretive, Caitrin must work to gain his trust, but he doesn’t have the anger issues that often come with the more simplistic takes on “beasts.” He’s also described as living with a form of palsy that struck him as a child and left him with one side of his body weaker than the other. The curse that his family and his home suffers under is much more nuanced than his simply being a “beast.”

I also really liked the magical elements we have in this book. The mirrors in particular were interesting (and a nice callback to the classic “Beauty and the Beast” mirror). Each one has a unique magical elements, and this wide range effects left the story with a lot of wiggle room to explore different parts of each character’s arc. This unknown magic also helped add to the general sense of unease and confusion that Caitrin experiences on Whistling Tor.

I did think a few parts of the story were a bit too predictable. A few characters were so obviously suspicious that you start to wonder early on if they’re red herrings. And then you read on to find out, no, they were just that bad all along and it was just very clear from the start. The curse itself was interesting, but there, too, I wish the story had done a bit more with it. The ending felt a bit sudden and neatly wrapped up, all things considered.

But those are minor quibbles. I really enjoy this story for what it offers on its own and as an interesting interpretation of “Beauty and the Beast.” The original fairytale is recognizable, with nice little winks to various aspects of the fable here and there, but it also feels like a fully fleshed out story on its own. Fans of fairytale retellings should definitely add this to their list!

Rating 8: A refreshingly unique retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” that perfectly balance the old with the new.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Heart’s Blood” is on these Goodreads lists: Beauty and the Beast and Best Adult Fairytale Fantasy.

Serena’s Review: “Murder at Half Moon Gate”

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Book: “Murder at Half Moon Gate” by Andrea Penrose

Publication Info: Kensington, March 2018

Where Did I Get this Book: audiobook from the library!

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

Book Description: When Lord Wrexford discovers the body of a gifted inventor in a dark London alley, he promptly alerts the watchman and lets the authorities handle the matter. But Wrexford soon finds himself drawn into the murder investigation when the inventor’s widow begs for his assistance, claiming the crime was not a random robbery. It seems her husband’s designs for a revolutionary steam-powered engine went missing the night of his death. The plans could be worth a fortune . . . and very dangerous in the wrong hands.
 
Joining Wrexford in his investigation is Charlotte Sloane, who uses the pseudonym A. J. Quill to publish her scathing political cartoons. Her extensive network of informants is critical for her work, but she doesn’t mind tapping that same web of spies to track down an elusive killer. Each suspect—from ambitious assistants to rich investors, and even the inventor’s widow—is entwined in a maze of secrets and lies that leads Wrexford and Sloane down London’s most perilous stews and darkest alleyways.
 
With danger lurking at every turn, the potent combination of Wrexford’s analytical mind and Sloane’s exacting intuition begins to unravel the twisted motivations behind the inventor’s death. But they are up against a cunning and deadly foe—a killer ready to strike again before they can recover the inventor’s priceless designs . . .

Previously Reviewed: “Murder on Black Swan Lane”

Review: Once I discover a “goody,” my self-control really goes out of the window. This is especially true for good books that likewise have good audiobook versions. I’ve found that audiobook narrator preferences are among the more individualized preferences in readers, and a good or bad narrator can really make or break a book for me. So when I read the first book in this series and discovered that I greatly enjoyed the writing itself, I was excited. When I also realized that the narrator, James Cameron Stewart, was just of the variety that I prefer, I was thrilled. So, buckle in as we likely review this series one after another over the next few months!

After forming an unlikely team to solve one mystery, both Mrs. Sloane and Lord Wrexford doubt their paths will cross in quite the same way again. They’ve maintained their blossoming friendship, but their social circles by no means intersect. That is until Lord Wrexford literally stumbles across the scene of a new crime, and after having his heartstrings (such as they are) tugged on upon by a becoming widow, he finds himself yet again caught up in a mystery. And knowing the value of the unique eye that Charlotte brings to these sorts of crimes, she, too, finds herself caught up once again in murder. But as they circle closer and closer to the truth amidst a complicated web of science, ambition, and greed, the killer also draws closer and closer to them.

Given the way the other murder landed on our two main characters’ tables, I was curious to see how the author was going to get them entangled in another. Not every murder in London can be personally tied to one of the two! But I thought the method here was effective. Nominally, it’s a random murder that Wrexford is only drawn into after being personally petitioned. But as the plot thickens, so, too, do we see how it provides an opportunity to gather more insight into our main characters. Wrexford begins to question how he see those around him, why this particular widow was able to pull on his heartstrings and how this insight reflects on his burgeoning relationship with Charlotte.

For her part, Charlotte is beginning to expand her life outwards, starting with a move to a larger house in a more respectable part of London. This comes with the unique challenge of appropriately drawing on the support systems she has while not compromising her pride in the independent lifestyle she has created for herself and the two boys under her care. Given her unique position, she’s able cross the boundaries between a respectable lady who can call upon the grieving widow and an independent entity who can call upon sources on the streets to turn over the darker underside of London itself. But this balance is becoming precarious, and in this story, we see the costs that Charlotte bears trying to maintain both sides of things.

The mystery itself was intriguing and complicated. I feel like half of the books one reads about this time period have some reference to the Luddite protests that were so prevalent in public discourse. But I liked the way this book tackled the topic while also delving into other modern aspects of business that we take for granted now but that were relatively new at the time. And even with all of these factors at play, the murder itself was still grounded in human emotions and motivations that get to the core of individuals.

My only quibble comes with the relationship between Wrexford and Sloane. In the first book, they meet each other and form a tenuous working relationship that slowly blooms into a sort of friendship. Here, we begin to see that friendship tested with hard truths being spoken and levels of trust explored. But then it felt like the end of the book took a hard dive in a particular direction. The direction itself is unsurprising (I mean, I barely think it’s a spoiler at this point to see where this is going…), but I found the sudden jump in both characters to begin to see/admit to other aspects of the relationship so quickly felt a bit out of left field. It also leaves me wondering where the story will go from here. Honestly, I had this particular storyline pegged out as taking place over several more books before coming to a head, so I’m not as sure now how the author has it plotted out.

But other than that small point, I really enjoyed this book. The author has perfectly nailed the language and feel of this time period in London, and her two main characters are both complicated and layered. I’m hopeful that she hasn’t played too many of her cards too early, but either way, I’m excited to find out in the next book!

Rating 8: An intriguing mystery centered around two increasingly compelling main characters! Count me in for the next one!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Murder at Half Moon Gate” is on these Goodreads lists: Regency and Victorian Mysteries and History through Novels: 1000-1899 Western Europe.

Serena’s Review: “Creatures of the Night”

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Book: “Creatures of the Night” by Grace Collins

Publishing Info: Wattpad Books, July 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Milena’s twentieth birthday, the day she would join the ranks of her village’s hunters, should have been the most exciting day of her life. Being a hunter meant she would be able to help protect her village from the murderous wolves who take human form—the creatures of the night. But a chance encounter with Elias, the enigmatic leader of the creatures, leaves her questioning everything she has ever believed to be true.

Up until now, Elias has managed to protect the creatures of the night and keep the secrets of his past well hidden. Now, as tensions between the groups grow, Elias is forced to make hard decisions: ones that will cost lives. Nobody is safe, especially Milena, the person he is inexplicably drawn to even though it could destroy them both.

Review: Milena has never understood why her caretaker has made her wait until her twentieth birthday to join the rest of the villagers on the hunt when everyone else has participated since they were sixteen. But the day is drawing near, and she hopes that by helping protect her people from the vicious creatures of the night, she will at last be accepted as a member of the village. All is not as it seems however, when she meets the mysterious leader of the creatures of the night. Suddenly, her world is turned upside down and no one is who she thought they were. Including herself.

While this book didn’t really work for me, first let’s discuss where it did succeed. Again, Collins has presented a fairly unique fantasy world to drive her story. Surprising no one, the creatures of the night are your fairly typical werewolves/shifters. But there were also two other fantastical beings, the hollowers and the whispers. Each of these last two were very intriguing, especially the hollowers who are the true villains of the story. I can’t go into much detail about either of these different beings as that would spoil a few of the reveals in the story (you can probably guess a few of the basic points already, but just in case!).

Sadly, I was less thrilled with the characters and the romance of this story. For one thing, the book desription seems to setting up a story that will have POV chapters from both Melina and Elias (this is similar to Collins’ M.O. from some of her other books), but instead we only have Melina’s perspective. And it’s just…bland. It was all the more disappointing because, given her history and set-up, there could have been an excellent story arch for her to traverse. And while there are hints of deeper moments of reflection but, in the end, they never come to much. She’s incredibly passive throughout the story. It’s understandable in the beginning, but again, she fails to grow into anything more as the story continues. She’s not particularly brave or kind or curious. Just a mellow, nice young woman.

For his part, Elias is similarly bland. His mysteriousness quickly loses its appeal and becomes more frustrating than anything else. By the time he does share some of his secrets, it’s too little too late and I was left wondering why he played some of these cards so close to his chest when, if known, they could have made everything a bit easier. Between these two fairly flat characters, there was little room for the romance to bloom into anything truly compelling. To make matters worse, because both characters were fairly noncommunicative (Melina for being a more quiet character and Elias because he’s “mysterious), there wasn’t a lot of dialogue between the two.

Overall, this was an underwhelming story. It also ends on a cliffhanger, which was frustrating given the rest of the story. I’m invested enough to want to find out what happens, but I’m not enthused about the prospects for these two characters unless they both manage to grow personalities.

Rating 7: Not up to my expectations for this author, but not without merit.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Creatures of the Night” is on this Goodreads list: Wattpad Books Publishing.

Serena’s Review: “Crown of Bones”

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Book: “Crown of Bones” by A.K. Wilder

Publishing Info: Entangled: Teen, January 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: audiobook from the library!

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

Book Description: Raise. Your. Phantom.

For fans of epic fantasies and sweeping adventures, this ensemble cast will immerse you in a world of unique magic, breathtaking action and unforgettable characters.

In a world on the brink of the next Great Dying, no amount of training can prepare us for what is to come …

A young heir will raise the most powerful phantom in all of Baiseen.

A dangerous High Savant will do anything to control the nine realms.

A mysterious and deadly Mar race will steal children into the sea.

And a handsome guide with far too many secrets will make me fall in love.

My name is Ash. A lowly scribe meant to observe and record. And yet I think I’m destined to surprise us all.

Review: “Fans of epic fantasies and sweeping adventures”: count me in! This one has been on the backburner for a while, but it finally showed up as available as an audiobook from the library so I jumped on it right away. I’ve struggled in the past with some of the audiobook readers that are often chosen for YA novels, and while neither of these narrators were terrible, I still struggled a bit with this book in that format. Both narrators didn’t change their voices or inflection style for different characters, so there were times where I was confused about who was speaking, etc. But on to the review of the actual book!

Ash has always dreamed of being a Savant, an individual with the ability to raise a powerful Phantom that possess unique abilities. Alas, her time came and went and no Phantom appeared. Instead, she’s devoted herself to the life of a scribe, providing support and friendship to the heir of the kingdom, Marcus. His Phantom, though powerful, has always resisted his control. So when he, Ash and a group of other Savants set off on a journey to gain more knowledge and control over their Phantoms, he has high hopes that he can finally come into his own as a true Savant. But along the way, they fall in with a mysterious sailor named Kaylin. Through him, they discover that many forces are moving in the world and perhaps Marcus’s Phantom will be more needed than ever. And Ash…she, too, will be needed.

One of the first things I noticed about this book is its pace. This is a high-action, fast-paced book. The narrative jumps from one action set piece to another with a sort of frenetic energy, and I whipped through the audiobook in only a few days. So from that perspective, the book is very readable and energetic. But once I got done and was able to catch my breath, I did find myself questioning more and more aspects of the rest of the story.

Because it moves so quickly, the story never allows its character to really breathe. The book description sets this up as Ash’s story, but the narrative is actually divided between her, Marcus, and the sailor Kaylin who arrives later into the story but still has a few chapters devoted to his POV. With all of the action and adventure, there’s a lot of room for character growth, but instead the book seems to just jump straight into another scene. It never felt like any of these three characters were truly reacting, absorbing, or being changed by these major events. It was incredibly frustrating, as there were some real character arcs that were hinted at for each of these characters, but we never delved deeper than the very surface level reactions. Ash, for her part, also existed in the background of a lot of the story, which I found particularly frustrating. And we never really were given much to understand Kaylin’s shifting loyalties throughout the story.

The world-building and the magic system were very unique and interesting. This was probably the aspect of the story that held it most together for me. The various ways that the Phantoms could use their powers was intriguing, and I enjoyed seeing them in action throughout the story. But there was also just SO MANY different magical elements added to this story that, again, it started to feel like none of them were sufficiently explained on their own before another thing was added. I don’t fully understand the Mar people or their motivations. The titular “Crown of Bones” was referenced here and there, but again, I don’t fully understand how that is playing into the mythology of this world. There was just so much, but none of it felt like it was organically weaving together or building to a fully-realized world.

Overall, this book was a bit hit and miss. It was a fast, enjoyable read. But on reflection, much of the character work and world-building felt shallow and as if several opportunities were missed throughout. I’m curious to see where the second book goes, however, as a few “reveals” (these were obviously telegraphed from the beginning of the book, which I also thought was a strange decision) might lead to some interesting changes in the narrative. Fans of fast-moving fantasy stories might want to give this a shot, but it’s definitely of the “beach read” variety of fantasy.

Rating 7: Exciting and fast-paced, but missing the heart and reflection that truly makes a story land with its readers.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Crown of Bones” is on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2021 and We do Bones.

Serena’s Review: “Into the Heartless Wood”

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Book: “Into the Heartless Wood” by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Publishing Info: Page Street Kids, January 2021

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.

When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.

Review: I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to this book. On the surface, it has tons of things working in its favor for me specifically. The cover is lovely and the story sounds like the exact sort of fairytale fantasy that I absolutely love. But every time I picked it up, I just couldn’t quite get into it. So, this last December I decided to really give it a go. And, while it still isn’t my favorite read ever, at least this time I did manage to get through the entire thing!

Everyone knows the true sirens live not in the sea but in the woods. Deep in the dark forest, a witch weaves a powerful spell to lure men and women beneath the canopy of trees where she can use her magic to feed their souls to the trees themselves. But it turns out that tree-sirens may want more, at least Seren does. When she meets a human, Owen, she begins to understand what it is to be human and longs for a soul of her own. But darker forces are shifting and the clash between the witch and a powerful king is soon to come.

This book is a tough one for me because of two dueling aspects of the story. One that I love. And one that I hate. Let’s start with what I loved. Obviously, I’m here for all of the fairytale fantasies, and this was just the type that I enjoy. The language was lyrical and of that “old-timey” style that I particularly enjoy. There was also numerous nods to English/Welsh folklore that very much reminded me of Juliet Marillier’s work. And really, anything that can be compared to one of my favorite authors has to be good. And yet, here I am giving a middling review to this book. Well, that comes down to what my problem was with the story. Notably, our two main characters and their romance.

Sadly, this was a hardcore instalove story. I mean, these two characters pretty much fall immediately in full-on love by page 60 (unsurprisingly enough, this is about where I fell-off in my reading in previous attempts). For me, instalove like this immediately sucks all of the interest out of the romance of the story. There’s no where for this relationship to go if it starts out at 100% milk. This makes the romance itself read very bland and boring, and it wasn’t helped by the fact that both main character also felt rather flat and uninteresting. I did like that their roles were somewhat reversed, with the heroine coming from a villainous role and the hero having a softer, more open personality.

So, there you have it, a book made of two equally powerful sides of my preference-coin. Love the fairytale story and lyrical quality of writing. Really hated the instalove romance and flat main characters. For those who are less annoyed by instalove, this could be a real win of a story. But sadly, it was enough to bump this one down a few points in my own rating.

Rating 7: Really loved parts of it, really disliked others, so take from that what you will!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Into the Heartless Wood” is on these Goodreads lists: Books To Read In Winter and Magical Forest.

Serena’s Review: “Echoes and Empires”

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

Book: “Echoes and Empires” by Morgan Rhodes

Publishing Info: Razorbill, January 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: Josslyn Drake knows only three things about magic: it’s rare, illegal, and always deadly. So when she’s caught up in a robbery gone wrong at the Queen’s Gala and infected by a dangerous piece of magic—one that allows her to step into the memories of an infamously evil warlock—she finds herself living her worst nightmare. Joss needs the magic removed before it corrupts her soul and kills her. But in Ironport, the cost of doing magic is death, and seeking help might mean scheduling her own execution. There’s nobody she can trust.

Nobody, that is, except wanted criminal Jericho Nox, who offers her a deal: his help extracting the magic in exchange for the magic itself. And though she’s not thrilled to be working with a thief, especially one as infuriating (and infuriatingly handsome) as Jericho, Joss is desperate enough to accept.

But Jericho is nothing like Joss expects. The closer she grows with Jericho and the more she sees of the world outside her pampered life in the city, the more Joss begins to question the beliefs she’s always taken for granted—beliefs about right and wrong, about power and magic, and even about herself.

In an empire built on lies, the truth may be her greatest weapon.

Review: So, I was sucked into this one by the cover. I’ll even admit that I only barely glanced at the general description before requesting it. That said, had I looked at said description a bit more closely, I might have been a bit more wary. But I also know that a book description isn’t the be all end all of books, and I’ve seen more than one example in the last year where the description completely undersold or misrepresented an excellent story. Unfortunately, this one is pretty much exactly what you’d expect based on its description.

Joss has always lived her life in the spotlight, and until the last year when tragedy struck her family, she’s reveled in it. Still, the show must go on, so Joss dutifully makes an appearance at a grand event. Unfortunately, while there, she gets caught up in a robbery that leaves her in possession of a magical infestation. And in a land where magic is outlawed, she must now creep into the shadowy world of the thieves and outlaws in hopes of curing herself before she is executed. While there, she begins to uncover new truths about her glittering world that throws her entire existence into question.

Sadly, I don’t have a lot of positive things to say about this book. I guess I can say that the writing seems strong enough, and the author was blessedly free of any repetitive word choices or an overly-simplistic style. There was also a fairly high level of action throughout, especially if you’re the type of reader who sees action in some of the smaller, social moments between characters.

Unfortunately, some of that “action” was unnecessary drama. Joss, herself, is introduced as a fairly unlikable main character who is made up of many of the more annoying stereotypes applied to teenage girls. She’s very self-focused, on her looks and her own actions, has made friends with a bunch of “popular girls” who, of course, participate in this the type of sniping and backstabbing that we’ve all seen in one too many teenage movies, and her focus on things like fancy dresses and shopping (while not bad on their own, of course) comes across as frivolous when paired with the rest of her character. The story does go on to reveal much that is wrong with Joss’s view of herself and her world, but for me, it was both too little too late and a bit hard to truly buy any of her changes.

I also had quibbles about how Joss was introduced. The way she talks, interacts with others, and generally carries herself through the world is very much in step with how a 20-something young woman would, decidedly NOT a teenage girl. It read as both unbelievable and, at times, borderline inappropriate. Also, fairly neglectful of her caretakers?

I also had massive, massive eye rolls at romance and the romantic interest. Not only was it all so predictable, but the banter was also very tired and expected. Also, the name “Jericho Nox.” Can’t not mention the ridiculousness of that name. From there, you move on to all of the other non-twists that come through this book. If you haven’t guessed most of them from the book description itself, I’d be shocked.

I was also very confused about the setting of this book. The cover, for one, makes it seem as if it is set in your typical bland, slightly Medieval European setting. But no. There are cars, phones, and a sort of social media apparatus. But also magic that still feels like it would come from one of those second world fantasies. Obviously, urban fantasy exists and that is probably the best subgenre for this. But that, too, didn’t quite fit. I don’t dislike the concept of the world, overall, but as it was, it felt jarring and hard to really place myself within it as a reader.

This book wasn’t really for me at all. Perhaps readers who aren’t as tired of some of these tropes will enjoy it, but I can’t really say anyone should run out and get their hands on it immediately.

Rating 5: Not for me. Too full of tropes and an unlikable main character really hurt it for me.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Echoes and Empires” is on this Goodreads lists: YA Novels of 2022.

Serena’s Review: “Sin & Chocolate”

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Book: “Sin & Chocolate” by K.F. Breene

Publishing Info: Hazy Dawn Press, Inc, October 2018

Where Did I Get this Book: from the library!

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

Book Description: Some people are ordained for greatness…

Those people usually have a lot of drama in their life. Drama I happily do without. I live in a forgotten corner of nowhere for a reason: there is safety in anonymity. I have enough problems just trying to get by.

But when Kieran, a sinfully sexy demigod at the pinnacle of power, crashes into my life, suddenly my whole world is turned upside down.

He’s harboring a deadly secret, one that could destroy all he holds dear. He thinks I’m the key to his salvation, and he wants me to help him claim vengeance.

He also wants me with a passion that burns my body from the inside out.

To ignore him is impossible, but to give in to my desires, even for a night, would thrust me into danger I might not survive.

Can I resist the temptation?

Review: So, I started reading this book under a bit of a false pretense. Mostly, that I thought it fell fairly purely under the subgenre “urban fantasy.” I typically only have a few urban fantasy series that I follow, and now that a few of them have ended and few other have become disappointments, I was hankering for a new series. And this title appeared on a few lists, so I thought, let’s give it a shot! And it’s not bad, by any means. But I’d definitely have went in with different expectations if I had seen this cover when I picked it up (or, frankly, read the description above):

Yeaaaah, definitely looks more like a romance novel cover than an urban fantasy cover!

Existing between worlds, that is between the magical and the “normal” world, is both the most dangerous place to be but also one of the few places where one can fully disappear. This is where Lexie exists, trying to keep her head down and provide for her two wards, each with their own unique needs. But her quiet existence is rudely interrupted by Kieran, a powerful magical being who very much does not exist in the shadows. And in Lexie he sees someone much more powerful than she claims or suspects.

I think my confusion about this book is also kind of fair. A lot of romance “series” are books linked by a shared world/group of people but focus on different main characters and couples in each. Urban fantasy, on the other hand, usually follows one or two main characters over the course of a series, similar to other fantasy genres. So, while this one does have the romance novel cover and a lot of the romance novel plot/language, it also fits into the urban fantasy genre.

For one thing, this book is clearly the first book in a series and as such spends much of its time developing the world in which Lexie and Kieran exist. There were a lot of interesting elements involved in this world where magic and magical beings have been living out in the open for quite a while. We see the political nature of it, with various groups coming down as either supportive or discriminatory towards magical beings. There’s also the pull and push of the power players on both sides of the magical and nonmagical line. And with this struggle comes the cracks that the vulnerable fall into. Through Lexie’s eyes, we see how both the magical and nonmagical communities have let down those who they don’t see as important. It’s a narrative that is very easy to take out of the fantasy genre and apply to the world around us.

That said, this focus on world-building, while interesting enough on its own, also very much slows down the pace of the story. That was probably my biggest problem with the book: the pace. I struggled to maintain interest, even within a book that was introducing what should be exciting new fantasy elements every which way. But for some reason, the plot itself felt plodding. There were witty conversations, but much of it felt like it wasn’t really leading to anything or illuminating anything new about the characters themselves.

I felt like I knew who these characters were the moment I met them, and that was also a bit disappointing. Lexie was ok, but I also feel like I’ve read variations of her a million times before and I, personally, can’t relate to some of her fixations with shopping and other things. Not that those are not worthy hobbies or interests, they’re just not really my thing so I couldn’t really invest in some of her fixations there. And Kieran was your typical arrogant, powerful hero who also has a heart of gold towards the woman he briefly meets and immediately becomes intrigued with.

In the end, this was just ok. It didn’t blow me away, but it was also solid enough for what it was trying to do. I do think that if I had had it in mind as more heavily focused on the romance side of things before I started I would have at least been in the right mindset. However, I’m still left looking for another urban fantasy series to get started on!

Rating 7: This book walks a strange line between romance novel and urban fantasy but doesn’t quite fit in either category.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Sin & Chocolate” is on these Goodreads lists: Under the Radar Page-Turners and NEW ADULT fantasy & paranormal romance.

Serena’s Review: “The Amber Crown”

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Book: “The Amber Crown” by Jacey Bedford

Publishing Info: Daw Books, January 2022

Where Did I get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: The king is dead, his queen is missing. On the amber coast, the usurper king is driving Zavonia to the brink of war. A dangerous magical power is rising up in Biela Miasto, and the only people who can set things right are a failed bodyguard, a Landstrider witch, and the assassin who set off the whole sorry chain of events.

Valdas, Captain of the High Guard, has not only failed in his duty to protect the king, but he’s been accused of the murder, and he’s on the run. He’s sworn to seek justice, but his king sets him another task from beyond the grave. Valdas doesn’t believe in magic, which is unfortunate as it turns out.

Mirza is the healer-witch of a Landstrider band, valued and feared in equal measure for her witchmark, her scolding tongue, and her ability to walk the spirit world. When she’s given a task by Valdas’ dead king, she believes that the journey she must take is one she can never return from.

Lind is the clever assassin. Yes, someone paid him to kill the king, but who is to blame, the weapon or the power behind it? Lind must face his traumatic past if he’s to have a future.

Can these three discover the real villain, find the queen, and set the rightful king on the throne before the country is overcome?

Review:: Yet another fantasy book with the title “The ‘something’ Crown.” I have another book with a type of crown in the title coming up in a week or so! I don’t know what it is about crowns that seems to be seen as the go-to in fantasy, but I do miss the days of more creative titles. Please, no more “crowns,” “queens,” or “the BLANK of BLANK and BLANK” for a solid five years please. Anyways, that mini rant aside, let’s dive in!

Valdas is in disgrace. As Captain of the guard, his one duty is to protect the monarch, and when the king is killed under his watch, there cannot be a failure more profound. But his duty does not end there, and when he’s tasked with finding the missing queen and heir, he finds himself in mixed company: a healer with powerful magical abilities (something that Valdas didn’t even believe in until it was forced upon him recently) as well as the assassin who seems responsible for the king’s death itself. But who was the power behind the order? And can they save the queen and heir before they, too, are harmed?

One of the reasons I found myself initially intrigued by the premise of this book was how much it sounded like a fairly traditional fantasy story. The world-building and magical system didn’t seem overly complex, and the plot itself followed a fairly standard “group goes on a quest” storyline. Most of these things have a long history behind their “trope-y-ness” because they can be implemented easily to tell fantastic stories (“Lord of the Rings,” anyone?). Sadly, here, there too many other things working against the story for me to really revel in these sorts of classic fantasy features.

To start with what I liked, however. All three main characters were fairly interesting. Each had a decent amount of time given to establish their unique personalities and, more importantly, their motivations going through this journey. All three of them were nuanced characters, none falling neatly inside a black or white box. However, even here, I do wish we had seen just a bit more. It’s hard to really describe what I mean, but, in their own way, each character felt like it fell just short of really coalescing into a complex, compelling character.

On to some of my struggles, first my general problems. For some reason, the writing fell flat for me. The plot itself never truly sucked me in, and I was very aware of the experience of reading the book as I turned the pages (clicked on the Kindle). I just couldn’t fall into the story, and the pacing was a let down at times. Moments that should have landed with more “oomf” rather landed with a “thud,” and the ending was surprising anticlimactic considering the work that had been put into building up the entire situation.

From there, the specifics. While I just got done saying that I generally struggled to connect to the writing, there were also a few specific writing choices that didn’t land right. The author makes an effort to include a diverse cast of characters, and yet it seems to be done in a very clunky way. Instead of simply initially identifying her diverse characters, she routinely described people as “the black fighter” or something like that. The sheer amount of repetition here is maybe partly what did it. There was just something off. I was also turned off by the number of times women’s breasts were described and in ways that are of the more egregious sort. Like, a woman would enter the room and would be described as having her breasts almost popping our of her shirt….Why? How is this detail adding to the scene, characterization, or story? There were also far too many rapes/near rapes/threats of rape in this story. Everyone knows my thoughts on this sort of thing so I’m just not going to go into it again. Suffice to say, rape can be included in a thoughtful, meaningful way. In this case, it was not and just adds up alongside the overuse of sexualized descriptions of women and strange fixation on skin color.

I was very disappointed by this book. I had hopes of diving back into my roots and finding a new “classic” fantasy story. And in some ways I did: sadly it was “classic” in the sense that it felt like it was committing very dated mistakes that, happily, are seen less and less often. Fans of fairly straight forward classic fantasy may like this, but I think there are better options out there in general.

Rating 6: Interesting characters are let down by a strange set of tired “classic” fantasy missteps.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Amber Crown” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on: “Books with Crowns.”

Monthly Marillier: “The Caller”

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“Monthly Marillier” is a review series that is, essentially, an excuse for me to go back and re-read one of my favorite author’s back catalog. Ever since I first discovered her work over fifteen years ago, Juliet Marillier has been one of my favorite authors. Her stories are the perfect mixture of so many things I love: strong heroines, beautiful romances, fairytale-like magic, and whimsical writing. Even better, Marillier is a prolific author and has regularly put out new books almost once a year since I began following her. I own almost all of them, and most of those I’ve read several times. Tor began re-releasing her original Sevenwaters trilogy, so that’s all the excuse I needed to begin a new series in which I indulge myself in a massive re-read of her books. I’ll be posting a new entry in this series on the first Friday of every month.

Book: “The Caller” by Juliet Marillier

Publishing Info: Knopf Books for Young Readers, March 2014

Where Did I Get this Book: own it

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

Book Description: Neryn has made a long journey to perfect her skills as a Caller. She has learned the wisdom of water and of earth; she has journeyed to the remote isles of the west and the forbidding mountains of the north. Now, Neryn must travel in Alban’s freezing winter to seek the mysterious White Lady, Guardian of Air. For only when Neryn has been trained by all four Guardians will she be ready to play her role in toppling the tyrannical King Keldec.

But the White Lady is not what she seems. Trapped with Whisper, her fey protector, Neryn is unable to send word to her beloved Flint, who is in danger of being exposed as a double agent. When a new threat looms and the rebellion is in jeopardy, Neryn must enter Keldec’s court, where one false move could see her culled. She must stand up against forces more powerful than any she has confronted before, and face losses that could break her heart.

Previously Reviewed: “Shadowfell” and “Raven Flight”

Review: This series was a bit of a roller coaster ride when I read it the first time, and the same holds true now. The first book was a bit slow and plodding. The second book was much improved and more to my taste. And the last book…was kind of back to being a miss, leaving the trilogy as a whole as probably my least favorite series from Marillier. So with that exciting preview to go on, let’s dive in!

Neryn’s task, to meet and gain the blessing of the four Guardains of the fae, has not been completed, and the powerful and dangerous forces in the land of Alban grow. She must hurry, not only does the entire land depend on her ability to communicate with the Fae, bringing them into the battle to secure their country from its cruel dictator, but her love, Flint, may soon be exposed as a spy. But magic can’t be rushed, and there are secrets to be discovered in the chilly halls of the North.

This book was not my favorite. Part of this has to do with the strange pacing of the story which makes it feel like poorly fit pieces of a puzzle that just won’t lie together. In many ways, the beginning feels like a natural extension of the second book, so much so that it reads a bit strange to find it at the beginning of a completely separate book that rather quickly leaves this type of “magical trial” storyline in the dust. But still, as I greatly enjoyed the second book for this very same storyline, the first part of this book is by far my favorite. I enjoyed the magical mysteries to be found with the northern Guardian, and this small adventure perfectly fit Neryn’s optimism and persistent pluck even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

However, from there the book goes downhill in my estimation. We move on to a undercover spy game that, on its own, isn’t bad but pairs poorly with the magical adventures that came before it. Again, my lack of investment in Flint and his relationship with Neryn didn’t help, leaving me feeling a bit bored as we made our way through what should have been touching reunions and tense games of cat-and-mouse.

And, sadly, the ending was the worst of it. Not only did I find the manner in which these conflicts were resolved unbelievable, but the entire thing undercut much of the grief and terror we’d seen up to this point. Neryn’s journey, her power, all were useful, of course. There was a brief battle. But in the end, it felt like the rebellion, Neryn, and us, the reader, had been primed for something that simply didn’t happen. And if it was ultimately as easy as this (I don’t think it would be and frankly my eyebrows were exploding off the top of my head, they were raised so high), the entire situation could have been handled sooner and the threat was never that powerful to start.

There was also left only a small, short chapter to really wrap up the remaining storylines. We were given only the briefest glimpses into the possible future for these characters, and it all simply felt like too little tacked on at the very last minute. Given how little of this series showed Neryn and Flint together, this truncated ending for them felt like even more of a let down.

So, yeah. I didn’t love this trilogy when I read it the first time and was curious to see if, perhaps, I just wasn’t in the right mood that go around (though, to be fair, I read these as they came out, so I would have had to be “not in the right mood” for like three years for that to be the case). But, no. This series just wasn’t for me. Neryn was a bit too Mary Sue. The romance lacked the spark I’ve come to expect from Marillier. And the story often felt half-baked. If you’re a fan of her work, maybe check this out. But other fantasy readers are sure to find better entries from this author in her other series.

Rating 6: A disappointing end to a lackluster series. Honestly, with “Wildwood Dancing” as the exception, Marillier is a far better adult fantasy author than YA.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Caller” is on these Goodreads lists: Most Interesting Magic System and Australian Speculative Fiction.