Tag: 8 Rating

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

Book: “The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill” by Rowenna Miller

Publishing Info: Redhook, March 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: There is no magic on Prospect Hill—or anywhere else, for that matter. But just on the other side of the veil is the world of the Fae. Generations ago, the first farmers on Prospect Hill learned to bargain small trades to make their lives a little easier—a bit of glass to find something lost, a cup of milk for better layers in the chicken coop.

Much of that old wisdom was lost as the riverboats gave way to the rail lines and the farmers took work at mills and factories. Alaine Fairborn’s family, however, was always superstitious, and she still hums the rhymes to find a lost shoe and to ensure dry weather on her sister’s wedding day.

When Delphine confides her new husband is not the man she thought he was, Alaine will stop at nothing to help her sister escape him. Small bargains buy them time, but a major one is needed. Yet, the price for true freedom may be more than they’re willing to pay.

Review: While I still haven’t gotten around to reading the second two books in the trilogy, I really enjoyed Rowenna Miller’s fantasy novel “Torn” when I read it several years ago. This is definitely one of those situations where my failure to complete the trilogy is completely due to my own lack of self-control in managing my TBR list and nothing to say about the series itself. That being the case, I was excited to see that the author was releasing a stand-alone fantasy novel this spring. Phew! Can’t drop the ball on a stand-alone!

While the world continues its steady march forward into modernity and industry, the family who owns the orchard on Prospect Hill still understand and honor the old, magical ways. A woven hay wreath for prosperity. A twist of nickel and ribbon for a good harvest. And while these time-tested bargains are reliable and sure, it is understood that the Fae are never to be trusted. But when two sisters find themselves confronting the limitations of a world that sees only limited roles for women, they must chance a new bargain to create a way forward for themselves and their family.

It’s no surprise that this book was a hit with me. There are so many things I like, right there in the description! A story with a historical setting that tackles the culture and challenges of that period of time. A plot that focuses on the softer, wilder side of magic. And two characters who are sisters and must navigate the beauties and pitfalls of that relationship. And Miller came through on all three points!

I really enjoyed the way this book navigated the historical time period during which it is set. Throughout the book, we see Alaine and Delphine come up against the limitations placed on them by a society that doesn’t yet recognize women’s value. But change is also in the air, with many references to the suffragettes who are hard at work fighting for women’s rights. Alaine and Delphine represent the everyday women in this period of time. Neither would label themselves as a suffragettes; indeed, Delphine’s politically-minded husband wants her to have nothing to do with the “radical” movement. However, they are still fully realized characters and women and thus quickly come up against the limitations placed on them. Delphine is interested in art and learning, forming a friendship with another female scholar. And for her part, while Alaine operates a farm and is active in local agriculture decisions, we see her again and again come up against those who would wish to see her fail. I especially liked a conversation and theme that came up towards the end of the book about how if something is a challenge for one person, there’s a good chance it’s a challenge for others. And that’s why it’s important to work towards changes that will benefit society as a whole, rather than just oneself.

I also really liked Alaine and Delphine as characters in their own right. They both felt like complete, fully-fleshed out women, complete with their own unique strengths and their own personal failings. But I particularly appreciated the way they were portrayed as sisters. The story alternates between the two of them, so we very quickly learn to see how each sister is misinterpreting and misunderstanding the other. Here are two women who are as close as you can be, but their relationship is constantly strained by their inability to clearly see the other one for who she truly is without viewing it through their own lens. It was such an honest and relatable portrayal, and I think the most successful depiction of adult sisterhood that I’ve seen in some time.

This is definitely a slower, quieter story. It takes a while for all of the pieces to come into place, so readers must be prepared to spend a good portion of the beginning of the book setting up our characters and their relationships with each other and the world around them. But then about two thirds through the book, the story takes a massive shift in what it’s doing. I wouldn’t say that it ever becomes action-packed, but it definitely went in a direction that I wasn’t expecting, but that I enjoyed the heck out of. Looking back on the read as a whole, this left me feeling as if the pacing of the book felt a bit choppy. But as I enjoyed both halves of the book so much, I’d hardly hold this against it.

Rating 8: Fairy circles and whimsical magic weave in and out of a thoughtful, quiet fantasy story that tackles important themes of sisterhood and feminism.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet, but it should be on Everything Fae.

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

Book: “The Foxglove King” by Hannah Whitten

Publishing Info: Orbit, March 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she’s lived by one rule: don’t let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city.

Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore’s job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore’s power is revealed, she’s taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what’s happening and who in the King’s court is responsible, or die.

Lore is thrust into the Sainted King’s glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August’s ne’er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society.

But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.

Review: I really enjoyed Hannah Whitten’s “For the Wolf” duology. The first book came out back in the “summer of ‘Red Riding Hood’ retellings,” as I fondly dubbed it, and I think Whitten’s version was my favorite of the three I read over those months. “For the Throne” was also an excellent sequel, taking the characters and the world in directions that I hadn’t expected. All of this to say, I am fully on board Whitten’s train, and I was super excited when I saw that she was releasing a new book this spring that would be the first in a new series. Let’s dive in!

I’m going to forego my usual summary chapter, and instead talk a bit about the fact that I think the official book’s summary is a bit misleading. It’s not truly important, but I think Lore’s connection to the catacombs is much more complex than “she escaped a cult and is in hiding.” I also think there are simply bits of the few sentences about this aspect of the book in the summary that are just factually wrong. I’m always mildly fascinated when there are discrepancies like these in book summaries. Was there some purpose behind this choice? Did the summary writer only skim the book and this was an accident? Who knows? Beyond this, the rest of the summary seems clear enough.

First, let’s talk about worldbuilding, particularly with regards to the magic and gods of this world. I think it’s interesting that this is now the second series that Whitten has written where her magic system involves magical forces directly interacting with the body, often resulting in mildly horrifying temporary changes to one’s physical self. I mean, I guess if you know what you like in a magic system, just go for it? I just found that interesting.

I will say, however, that it took me a bit to truly understand how this magic works, not only Lore’s abilities but also Mortem itself as used by others in the form of consuming poisonous substances. At a certain point early in the book, I had to consciously choose to stop trying to understand this and just go with it. As I continued reading, some of these details did become more clear, but honestly, I’d still struggle to write down a concise explanation of how it all worked. I’m not sure if this was a failing of the system itself or how it was described, but readers should be prepared to devote some thought and reading time into absorbing this aspect. I do think it is worth it, however, since as the book continued and I felt more comfortable with the concepts, this magical conceit opened up a lot of interesting story lines and theories.

As for the gods, I thought this part of the book was a bit familiar. There are a lot of fantasy books that deal with a religion that has been built up around one god after the destruction of a larger pantheon that came before. So, too, the relationship between a god of life/light and a goddess of darkness/death. The book played its cards pretty close to the chest with these themes, however, leaving a lot of questions still to be answered in this area. But I also feel fairly confident that I know where this is going, and it might read familiar to other readers as well. Who knows though? As I said, we don’t get any clear answers here, so Whitten could still surprise me!

Lastly, the characters and, most importantly, the love triangle between them. Yes, a love triangle and if you skip to the end of the review, you’ll see that I gave this book a good rating, so what’s going on here? Well, I’ll say that the success of this particular love triangle comes down to one key thing: all three of these characters are fully realized individuals with their own arcs and struggles within this book. Yes, it’s mostly Lore’s book. But the story does an excellent job of also setting up Gabriel, a young man who has been shaped by a great tragedy in his past, and now must struggle with dueling loyalties to Lore and to the religion and its leader who gave him refuge during that tragic event. Bastian, too, is a fully realized character, and his story explores themes of responsibility, power, and trust. Truly, the “romance,” such that it is, between all three characters is very much in the background to the growth that they experience as individuals, as various pairs, and as a group of three together.

I’ll also say that the romance plays out in a very non-traditional manner, in some ways. Part of my problem with love triangles is that I always feel as if the true love interest is telegraphed so clearly and so early that the second romantic storyline just feels like rather boring subterfuge. Here, I almost had the opposite problem. At various points in the story, both characters feel as if they are being set up as the end game couple. But then at different points in the story, each does something that I would typically say points to them being ruled them out as the end game partner. I found myself not only confused but intrigued, and I’m now half-wondering if Whitten is pulling a fast one on me and neither character will be a true love interest by the end of the series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think some aspects of the world-building were a bit confusing, on one hand, and overly familiar, on another. But it’s also clearly the start to a series, so both of these questions could be resolved in follow-up books. I do think the story lives and dies on the strength of its central three characters, and I, for one, was completely sold on them all. If you enjoy character-centric stories and want a more complex look at a love triangle, this is the fantasy novel for you!

Rating 8: Like the book’s own magic, Whitten perfectly balances darkness and light to create a new fantasy world and leading lady that feels both dangerous and opulent, ferocious and soft. An intriguing start!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Foxglove King” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Most Anticipated Adult Fantasy, 2023 and Poisonous Plant Fiction Titles

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

Book: “Empire of Exiles” by Erin M. Evans

Publishing Info: Orbit, November 2022

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

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

Book Description: Twenty-seven years ago, a Duke with a grudge led a ruthless coup against the empire of Semilla, killing thousands. He failed. The Duke was executed, a terrifyingly powerful sorcerer was imprisoned, and an unwilling princess disappeared. 

The empire moved on. 

Now, when Quill, an apprentice scribe, arrives in the capital city, he believes he’s on a simple errand for another pompous noble: fetch ancient artifacts from the magical Imperial Archives. He’s always found his apprenticeship to a lawman to be dull work. But these aren’t just any artifacts — these are the instruments of revolution, the banners under which the Duke lead his coup. 

Just as the artifacts are unearthed, the city is shaken by a brutal murder that seems to have been caused by a weapon not seen since the days of rebellion. With Quill being the main witness to the murder, and no one in power believing his story, he must join the Archivists — a young mage, a seasoned archivist, and a disillusioned detective — to solve the truth of the attack. And what they uncover will be the key to saving the empire – or destroying it again.

Review: I always love some good, old-fashioned political intrigue in my fantasy novels. On top of that, a “seasoned archivist” sounds like a fancy name for a fantasy librarian, so you know I’m going to be all over anything that references librarians. What can I say, we’re easy to please. It’s kind of like how the Oscar nominations always favor movies about Hollywood. Publishers and authors know what us librarians like to read about. Ourselves! But in all seriousness, this sounded like an intriguing book, so I was happy to receive a copy to review from Orbit.

It has been decades since the Duke lead his failed coup, attempting to set up a young princess as the next ruler. He was executed and the world seemed to move on, life going about as usual behind the wall of Salt that surrounds the land to protect those within from the powerful Changelings that linger, ever present beyond. But now, the artifacts of the Duke’s rebellion are being brought out of storage. What possible use could they serve but to reignite that old spark? On top of that, a shocking murder takes place and a group of seemingly disconnected individuals all work to uncover the many secrets that are slowly, slowly creeping back into the light.

This is definitely a book made for true fantasy lovers. By that I mean that it can be intimidating as heck to those who might just pick it up on a whim. You open the book and there you see detailed and complex maps. Then you see a huge cast of characters. And then you start reading and it becomes very apparent that not only do these main characters not understand the full scope of their world, but that the author isn’t about to clue you, the reader, in any time soon either. But this is not a critique! Indeed, all of these things are exactly the kind of meaty aspects that I think many fantasy readers are looking for in a book. We want to be thrown into the deep end and feel as if we’re truly in a new world, one that would in fact be filled with huge casts of characters, need a detailed map to understand, and contain a magic system that goes beyond wand-waving. And this book delivers on all of these things!

Some of it will also be familiar to fantasy fans, which can be a plus and a minus. I didn’t think there was anything truly shocking here, though I may make an exception for the Changelings themselves, as I thought they were a particularly interesting threat. But the magic system, while interesting, will read as familiar to many fantasy readers. Basically, practitioners will have an affinity to certain things (wood, bone, stone) etc. which will influence they way they can perform magic. Hence, the salt wall that surrounds the city gains a certain mystique as it could only be created by a very unique sort of person.

The characters were all good as well, though I can’t say that I was overly attached to any one of them over another. This is probably a good and a bad thing, ultimately. I wasn’t dreading any particular character’s chapter, but I also wasn’t incredibly invested in one of them either. All told, I think the characters themselves served more as aspects of the world and story that were being created than as the driving force of the story itself.

The writing was quite effective right from the start. It felt sure-handed and well-practiced at balancing the myriad of aspects that must go into creating a complicated world and story such as this one. Indeed, on top of setting up an epic-feeling fantasy world, the author adds in a murder mystery. For me, as a fan of mysteries as well, I really enjoyed this combination of genres, and I think it added an extra zest to the overall story.

It did take me a bit to really get into the book. Because we’re thrown in right away, it takes a bit to orient oneself with the players and world at large. This might also be where my lack of immediate attachment to the characters put me at a bit of a disadvantage. Even now, though, I can’t point to exactly why I struggled with this. I have very clear memories of some of the first scenes with certain characters and laughing internally at some of the great dialogue right off the bat. Either way, I think this book will definitely appeal to epic fantasy fans looking for a new world to explore, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next one!

Rating 8: The pinnacle of what one looks for in epic fantasy: a sprawling world, a rich history, a detailed magic system, and an intriguing cast of characters to travel alongside.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Empire of Exiles” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best books of November, 2022