Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “Nightstrider”

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Book: “Nightstrider” by Sophia Slade

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Wren is a  a deadly manifestation of the frightening dreams of humans. She is forever bound to the insidious Para Warwick, the only night creature who can cross the boundary between the dream and waking realms. When she fails to retrieve information on a weapon that could finally end Warwick’s reign and is severely punished, she makes a snap decision to aid the growing rebellion in finding it. Here, she meets Alaric, another nightmare hell-bent on atoning for his sins. Though wildly suspicious of one another, they form a tentative pact to take down Warwick once and for all. 

The waking world is no better off. Prince Caine Fallon, Warwick’s ignorant human son, prepares to wed Ila Enevoldson, the young queen from a neighboring kingdom. But Ila is more than she She is a weaver, a protector of the ancient Boundary that separates the realms, and she has lost a precious weapon entrusted to her. She will do anything to retrieve it, including agreeing to an engagement with the son of her sworn enemy.  

When Caine catches Ila opening a portal to the dream realm and follows her through, he finds himself in a universe stranger than he could have imagined, where his father is more monstrous than he could have fathomed. Their destinies collide with those of the two lethal nightmares, and they are forced to band together to stop the vicious dictator—and prevent the very fabric of reality from unravelling. 

Review: I’ve been looking forward to this book ever since I saw that it was picked up by Orbit. The premise sounded incredibly creative, and while I could see the potential for “too many POVs” syndrome, there are also plenty of examples of books where that’s not a failing but instead a bonus. So, ever hopeful, I picked this one up right away when I received my copy!

And, for the most part, there was a lot to like in this one! The first thing that stood out was the unique world-building. I feel like I’ve read similar fantasy stories that play around with the concept of dream worlds populated by living personifications of dreams, but this one more fully fleshed that idea out. In many ways, it operates similarly to the human world, full of social hierarchies based on power structures (in this case, power mostly comes in the form of physical strength and violence). And within this struggling world, there are those who are fighting against the tyrant that rules over them and the powerful nightmares he has created and surrounds himself with.

Then, in a truly interesting contrast, the book switches to the human world where that exact same tyrant rules as well. However, in this world, he is seen as a human man who has human children, who, similarly to the nightmares of the other realm, he rules over with an iron fist. It’s such an interesting concept, to have two so completely different worlds, but both not only facing similar oppression, but plagued with the same powerful man in both. I also enjoyed the change in dynamics between the worlds. In the human world, we have the POV of Para Warwick’s human son, Caine, so the book explores that family dynamic. In the nightmare world, Wren is Warwick’s right-hand nightmare, the doom he sends out to do his bidding. Both have similar close ties to this powerful, dangerous man, but there were also notable differences that the book explores.

And these are only two of the for POVs we get. While I did struggle to enjoy all four equally, I think the author made a wise decision of essentially pairing them up early in the book. Two of them are introduced in the human world and quickly fall within each other’s orbit (through the oldie-but-goodies arranged marriage trope) while the other two are nightmares in the fantasy world who come together in their joint mission to take down Warwick. All four had their own strengths, though I will say that I felt like Caine had the least to do in this book. Much of his story is simply being the “naïve one” who is first learning about the details of these different worlds. Similarly, Alaric didn’t have much as far as a true plot line. He is introduced as a resistance fighter, but the moment he meets Wren, she essentially takes over this role. However, both Wren and Ila are given more chapters as well, so this probably affected this feeling of imbalance.

The pacing is fairly steady throughout, with action scenes coming hot and heavy pretty much from start to finish. This did lead to a bit of clunkiness in the writing itself, with some scenes and character left with little description, leaving me feeling a bit stranded in an ill-defined setting. A bit more editing and fleshing out in the descriptive aspects would have elevated this one to a higher level. However, the dialogue was snappy and clearly a strength of this author’s. Fans of multi-POV fantasy novels with a focus on adventure as well as romance should give this one a shot!

Rating 8: With snappy dialogue, swoon-worthy romance, and a creative new fantasy world, this is a debut well-worth checking out!

Serena’s Review: “Monstrous Nights”

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Book: “Monstrous Nights” by Genoveva Dimova

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

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

Book Description: With her magic reclaimed and her role in the community of Chernograd restored, Kosara’s life should finally be back to normal—but, of course, things can’t possibly be that simple.

She is now in possession of twelve witch’s shadows, which belonged to a series of young, magically powerful women lured into the deadly marriage with the Zmey that Kosara only narrowly escaped as a young woman. Holding them may grant her unprecedented power, but that doesn’t mean they’re always willing to do her bidding.

Across the wall in Belograd, Asen chases the only lead on his latest case, one of several unsolved witch murders, even against the orders of his direct superior and the mayor. He’s convinced the smuggling kingpin Konstantin Karaivanov is behind them, and follows his trail to an underground monster auction—which leads him right back to Chernograd.

There, sinister events follow one after snow falls in midsummer, a witch with two shadows is found dead, monsters that should only appear during the Foul Days have been sighted, and cracks appear in the sky that only Kosara seems able to see. The barrier between worlds thins… and Kosara can’t help but feel her actions are the cause.

Previously Reviewed: “Foul Days”

Review: I’ve been eagerly awaiting this one ever since June when “Foul Days” took me completely by surprise with its excellence! Luckily, that book wrapped up enough that this wasn’t an excruciating wait. And even more luckily, this was one of those rare fast turn-around situations where the sequel came out almost on the heels of the first book! So, did this one live up to the highs that was the first in the duology? Let’s find out!

For the most part, I think this one turned out to be an excellent sequel and follow-up to that first book. I rated “Foul Days” a 10 which is a pretty hard number to follow, and this one got just about as close as you can get. Everything I enjoyed about the first book was back in spades, and I enjoyed some of the new challenges that our characters faced, especially with the brief looks we got into the struggles of these two cities/cultures that had been so long divided now suddenly brought together. And, importantly, while I appreciated these brief touches on subjects like immigration, culture clash, and the general fear of the other, I also liked that the author simply dropped these scenes into the book without letting them take over the story. Instead, the reader is presented with these brief looks that may feel familiar, even if they are happening in a fantasy setting, and left readers to draw their own conclusion. But these are largely events simmering in the background of what remains a very “fantasy adventure” story.

I really enjoyed Kosara’s story and the direction it took in this second entry. Now in possession of not one, but many shadows (the source of a witch’s magic) she is one of the most powerful women in the city. However, these shadows come with their own histories and baggage, being all that remains of the tragic wives and victims of the Zmey, and they don’t lie on Kosara’s shoulders lightly. Through flashbacks into these women’s lives, the book further fleshes out the history of the Zmey and the true terror that he was. Through these characters as well as through further exploration of the Baba Yaga-like character we met in the first book, we get a more detailed history of how the Zmey came to be who he was and, potentially, enlighten a pathway to his ultimate defeat.

I also enjoyed the Kosara’s personal journey. In the first book, we saw her struggle to trust others or to accept help. And here, we largely see the same. Yes, she has learned to trust a bit more, but now with her added power, she feels even more responsibility to solve the cities’ problems all on her own without endangering those she cares about. In this way, Asen was a perfect foil to Kosara’s struggles, serving as contented helper, showing up when he was needed whether she wanted him there or not. I also enjoyed the continued slow-burn romance between these two. As I said in the first book, this is the perfect balance of romance for me: sweet, slow, and a solid second-place to the primary plot.

However, this book marks a distinct shift from the first book in one way: we had chapters from Asen’s perspective. Surprising no one who reads this blog, this did bring it down a bit for me. Mostly because it felt very clear throughout much of the book that there simply wasn’t enough plot (either action itself or important themes explored) that was specific to this character. As I said earlier, this was still very much Kosara’s story. While Asen had a few specific plot angles, they had the distinct feeling of being almost a “side quest” to the larger story. There, but not overly necessary. And, as happens far too often, I don’t feel as if the peak into Asen’s head actually helped the love story, as it removed the necessity to actually show the romance developing, which is the best part and sorely missed when author’s go this route! That said, these chapters were still well written and Asen is an excellent character, so this falls mostly into a personal preference category (with some niggling questions about whether these chapters negatively affected the pacing and plotting with unnecessary subplots.)

Overall, however, this was an incredible sequel! It expanded the lore and history of the world, continued to build out the sweet romance at its heart, and placed due priority on the amazing characters who lead the way, especially Kosara herself. I highly recommend this duology to all fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy original fairytale stories!

Rating 9: A new author to keep an eye on, perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Naomi Novik!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Monstrous Nights” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Eastern European Fantasy and 2024 SFF Books with Female Leads or Co-Leads.

Serena’s Review: “How to Help a Hungry Werewolf”

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Book: “How to Help a Hungry Werewolf” by Charlotte Stein

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: What We Do in the Shadows with the small town feels of Gilmore Girls in this swoon-worthy romance that will leave readers delightfully cozy and hungry for more.

When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.

Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf striking a deal.

Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in between fights with formers bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.

Review: While October is Kate’s month with her yearly “Horrorpalooza,” if the right options present themselves, I like to get in on the themed action and read some Halloween books myself! Of course, these often skew towards the fantastical and the romantic rather than, you know, all the actual horror. That being the case, I was excited when the publisher contacted me about a potential review for this book. Judging by the title and the adorable cover alone, I thought this would perfectly fit my more laid back Halloween vibes during the month of October!

This book was a bit of a strange read, in that I really enjoyed the first half of the story, but then as it moved into the second part, I found myself beginning to struggle more. But to start with the positives, the story starts out on a strong foot. This is very much a cozy fantasy story in that there is a distinct tone to the storytelling. Nothing is ever discussed in too serious of a manner and much of the dialogue is quite quippy and silly. There is a very stylistic approach to the storytelling, and it’s the kind of thing that will either work for readers right from the start or it will annoy them. For the most part, I was happy to go with it and did find much of it humorous. I made the wise decision early in the story to firmly slot the romantic interest into the “himbo/golden-retriever-esque” character archetype, which helped with my expectations throughout.

That being the case, however, I do wish the book had balanced some of the more light-hearted moments out with some seriousness. While the Seth was funny, I also wished we had some more sincere moments from him. And, as the story progressed, I increasingly began to struggle with the dialogue/character decisions we were getting as contrasted with the actual age of these characters.

We are meant to believe these two are adults well into their twenties. But too often the manner of their speech and the quality of their observations fell firmly into the teenage category. Towards the middle, the romantic conflict began to take an incredibly silly turn, with Cassie misinterpreting Seth’s actions and reactions to a truly ridiculous degree. I get that this was meant to delay their reconciliation, but it began to become silly to the point of frustrating very quickly. Her thought process (and his as well, from what we could see) fell firmly within the juvenile category and was simply not believable as coming from a mature woman.

I also understand that this is the type of cozy fantasy story where the magic system, such as it is, is very broad and undefined. Which is fine, that’s not the point of this type of story. However, Cassie also began to feel incredibly over-powered fairly early on which did take out some of the conflict in the last act of the story.

All of this said, I believe this is the beginning of a series, and I’m fairly certain we meet the next two main characters in this book, both of whom I’m definitely interested in following. So while I felt a bit let down by the end of this book, I’m definitely interested in checking out the next one. Fans of cozy fantasy romance should probably give this one a shot, though the overall quippy tone may be hit and miss for some readers.

Rating 7: A bit bogged down by the quippy tone and immature main characters, but still a fun enough read for the most part.

Reader’s Advisory:

“How to Help a Hungry Werewolf” can be found on these Goodreads lists: A Dash of Spice: Autumn Romance Reads and Witch Romance

Serena’s Review: “Immortal Dark”

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Book: “Immortal Dark” by Tigest Girma

Publishing Info: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.

It began long before my time, but something has always hunted our family.

Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad.

To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’s wickedness speaks to Kidan’s own violent nature and tempts her to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill Susenyos at all costs.

When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. There she discovers a centuries-old threat—and June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees and either break free from the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love—and the blood it requires.

Review: I’ve been looking forward to this one for a few months! While vampires aren’t my favorite supernatural beings, I’ve had a lot of success with some of the recent books featuring them. On top of that, this one added in several other tropes I enjoy: dark academia, gothic fiction, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.

Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. But it was by no means a complete loss, and by the time I had finished the book, I had mentally slotted this author into the “worth checking out again” category in my head. So, let’s start with what I did like. The writing had a lot of potential, I think. It got bogged down a bit in info-dumping and confused world-building, but on its own, it was good. There were several turns of phrase and story-building moments that stood out, and the strength of the writing itself is largely what pulled me through when I began to struggle.

I also liked a lot of the ideas that went into this world and its society, especially the dark academia aspects. There was a lot of creativity to be found here, and, as much as I hate the term, the gothic “vibes” were well done. I definitely wanted to learn more about this world, and became increasingly frustrated when the book continued to lack clarity with some of these elements.

Clarity, overall, was a real problem. Which was odd because there were also significant moments early in the novel that felt extremely info-dumpy. There were also a plethora of different plot lines and magic systems that were all introduced early in the book. So even with clunky exposition moments, I still felt unclear on exactly how any of this worked exactly and how these various plotlines were meant to weave together.

I also struggled with the characters themselves. For all that I love enemies-to-lovers romances, I’ve realized that I’m also fairly picky in this regard. Sure, they can be enemies, but there’s a point of animosity that it’s difficult to believe anyone would come back from. And that’s what we had here. These characters HATED one another and were truly terrible to one another, so much so that it was difficult to buy their slow reconciliation. To be fair, the book doesn’t rush this, and even by the end, it’s more of a “hate less” situation than anything.

But the biggest problem here was the struggle I had to become invested in the main character. She was truly terrible at times, and her hatred of the vampires was uncomfortable at times. On one hand, I appreciate books that don’t shy away from demonstrating what bigotry can look like. Many authors simply take the safe route and show villains being bigots and then pat themselves on the back for “tackling” a tough topic. But here, our main character is too truly blinded by her hatred of an entire group of people to engage honestly with the individual in front of her. However, while I appreciate the difficulty of this task, it still left me following a character I struggled to like.

As for the rest of the characters, most of them felt like cardboard cutouts of characters, reading as very flat. And while I think the writing was strong in its descriptive elements for the most part, the dialogue was a mess. There were many times where I honestly have no idea what the characters were even trying to say. It’s like they were talking in riddles simply because it was meant to make them seem deep. But in reality, they were saying nothing and no one talks like this.

This book was a bit all over the place. I think there was a lot of potential here, and perhaps the author will settle in to her style a bit more as she moves forward. But on its own, this book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through. I think it will best work for dark fantasy/romance readers who enjoy fairly extreme versions of enemies-to-lovers romances. Take “The Cruel Prince” dynamic and elevate the cruelty, essentially.

Rating 7: While the descriptive writing was good, the story felt bogged down by too many plot lines and inscrutable magic systems.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Immortal Dark” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Vampire Renaissance and Magic Schools, Academies & Universities.

Serena’s Review: “The City in Glass”

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Book: “The City in Glass” by Nghi Vo

Publishing Info: Tor, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: A demon. An angel. A city that burns at the heart of the world.

The demon Vitrine—immortal, powerful, and capricious—loves the dazzling city of Azril. She has mothered, married, and maddened the city and its people for generations, and built it into a place of joy and desire, revelry and riot.

And then the angels come, and the city falls.

Vitrine is left with nothing but memories and a book containing the names of those she has lost—and an angel, now bound by her mad, grief-stricken curse to haunt the city he burned.

She mourns her dead and rages against the angel she longs to destroy. Made to be each other’s devastation, angel and demon are destined for eternal battle. Instead, they find themselves locked in a devouring fascination that will change them both forever.

Together, they unearth the past of the lost city and begin to shape its future. But when war threatens Azril and everything they have built, Vitrine and her angel must decide whether they will let the city fall again.

The City in Glass is both a brilliantly constructed history and an epic love story, of death and resurrection, memory and transformation, redemption and desire strong enough to burn a world to ashes and build it anew.

Review: I’ve only recently discovered this author, and my first introduction was to jump in to the middle of an ongoing series of novellas. Which, objectively, was probably a foolish decision. But it does serve as a testament to the skills of the author that I still found myself fully drawn in and enjoying my read, even as I met these characters and this world for the first time! That being the case, however, I was excited when I saw that she was releasing a new stand-alone fantasy novella! Perfect for a relative newbie like me!

The very premise of this book sounded like it was right up my alley! I love second-world fantasy stories like this, the sort that require elaborate and detailed world-building on the author’s part to weave together a landscape completely foreign to our own. Add on top of that the rather classic angel/demon enemies-to-lovers storyline, and I was in! These expectations, based on the short summary we were given, were both perfectly on point for what this book has to offer and a bit misleading.

The concept was just as described, but there’s no emphasizing enough the powerful writing that went into describing the unique relationship between the city and the chaotic demon, Vitrine. She’s a demon in the truest sense, in that she’s passionate but unpredictable, as much a patron to her city as she is a force similar to the weather, capricious and destructive. But what really sells the heart of this story, is the tragedy that follows. The loss of her city and then the endless battle she finds herself in with the angel that wrought it.

I think I have certain expectations (whether good or bad, who knows) about what enemies-to-lovers stories look like. And, if you’re a fan of that sort of romance, you probably do too. Well, I’m here to say that this isn’t that! This is a devastating exploration of two beings destined to hate one another who cautiously become intrigued and then slowly beguiled by the other. However, none of these feelings undo the massive tragedy that came before, and a sense of darkness looms throughout. The ending is also not a “romance” ending, if you know what I mean. Instead, it was as strange, beautiful, and tragic as everything that came before in this book.

For all that I loved about this book (beautiful writing, creative world-building, complicated characters), I would have a hard time saying that I “enjoyed” this read. It’s not that kind of book. Beach read, this is not. However, readers who enjoy this author or who are looking for a lyrical, more complicated, approach to the oh-so-popular enemies-to-lovers storyline should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: Beautiful and tragic, this book explores themes of loss and re-birth all through the lens of two fantastic characters, an angel and a demon.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The City in Glass” can be found on this Goodreads list: [ATY 2025] Fictional Location

Serena’s Review: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal”

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

Book: “Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” by Olivie Blake

Publishing Info: Tordotcom, October 2024

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

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

Book Description: Once upon a time in a land far, far away, the tutelary spirit to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan gains literacy for her occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death, and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both, featuring modified fairytales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows.

Review: As promised, we’re back with round two of my foray into short story collections this week! My first few experiences with this author were incredibly positive, but as I’ve read more and more, I’ve found myself struggling to connect with her writing style and becoming frustrated with what feels like a lack of substance in service of style. That being the case, I was curious to see what a short story collection by this author would look like. Would be more of the former or the latter?

Unfortunately, I have to report that this one fell largely in the latter category. However, one of the benefits of short story collections is that there are multiple options of stories with which to connect. So while the novel as a whole fell flat, I did have a few favorites that I’d like to dive into before getting into the rest of it. One of my favorite stories was one that showed up early in the collection. It told of a magical bridge and its watcher who was obligated to offer and grant certain types of wishes to any who found it. Over the course of the story, we see the young woman who is this guardian slowly become disillusioned to the sorts of wishes many people are asking for (there’s a recurring group of people who get into a lot of trouble with contradictory wishes). She also slowly begins to fall in love with a young man who, against all odds, continues to find the bridge over and over again, even though it always changes locations. It’s a sweet story and it played well with the tried and true fairytale concept of “wishes gone bad.”

However, even here, this story illustrated one of my recurring frustrations with this collection. By the end, it just sort of…well…ends. More over, the way the ending for this one is written, it comes across as ambiguous with the intent to be “deep,” which, instead, just leaves it actually feeling frustrating and pretentious. Over and over, throughout this book, there were stories that had interesting worlds and characters, but there was something about either A.) the style of writing or B.) the way the themes were presented (often in this ambiguous, quasi-intellectual manner) that made them read as, again, pretentious. And too often, the stories would end abruptly, and I was left wondering what the point of it all was.

Writing short stories is incredibly hard. Not only is it such a short length within which to work, but I do think there is this false idea floating around out there that these sorts of tales must be “artsy” and “deep” and “say things.” Here, we see this author fall into this trap. Instead of simply telling good stories, she seems to get bogged down in these secondary concerns. There would be small nuggets within most of the stories, but too often these were lost in the mess of everything else. There was another interesting one early in the book that dealt with a character essentially getting paid their entire life’s earnings early in life, and then be obligated to “work it off” from age 30 on. This was such an interesting concept, especially as it played out by increasing the main character’s anxiety rather than offering the promised freedom. But then, again, there were a bunch of other themes jammed in there, added characters who felt like they should be more important than they were, and an ending where it felt like the entire exercise was rather meaningless and a waste of a good concept. It’s hard to really describe, but these were the sorts of problems that plagued most of the book.

Overall, I think this collection was solidly just ok. None of the stories were outright bad, and a few of them I enjoyed for the most part. However, I think the author’s writing and approach to story-telling left something to be desired, with “vibes” and “style” too often taking precedent over simply writing a good story. If you’re a big fan of this author’s work, this still might be worth checking out. But if you’re only mildly interested in short story collections (like me), than this one may end up feeling lackluster.

Rating 7: Too heavy on the quasi-intellectual vibes to be a truly enjoyable read. Though there were still a few gems hidden away within.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal” can be found on this Goodreads list: 52 Book Club 2024: Summer Mini Challenge – 100m Sprint: A Short Story Collection

Serena’s Review: “Buried Deep and Other Stories”

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Book: “Buried Deep and Other Stories” by Naomi Novik

Publishing Info: Del Rey, September 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

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

Book Description: From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories.

In Buried Deep, we move from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages and the Black Death, and into the modern era. We meet Mark Antony, Sherlock Holmes, and Elizabeth Bennet, in ways we have never seen them before. We visit exotic fantasy cities and alien civilizations among the stars.

Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: the act of finding and seizing one’s destiny, and the lengths one will go to achieve that—be it turning pirate, captaining a fighting dragon, or shifting from marriage to seek your destiny with a sword.

And in the two tales original to this collection, we first reenter the remade Scholomance in the wake of El’s revolution and see what life is like for the new crop of students. Then, we get a glimpse at the world of Novik’s upcoming series, a deserted land, populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural behemoths whose secrets are yet to be unlocked.

Review: I don’t typically read short story collections because, with all honesty, I very rarely enjoy them. I’m the sort of reader who really wants to sink into a world and (ideally) follow a single POV character who I become wholly invested in over the course of the story. It’s all quite focused in to detailed character work and epic storytelling and worldbuilding, all of which are difficult to convey in the much smaller wordcount allowed to short stories. Beyond this, most of the collections I’ve read in the past were assortments of authors all contributing to one work, which left a lot of variability in quality throughout the entire read. All of this long winded intro to say, this week I’ll be reviewing not only one short story collection, but two! And they are each wildly different experiences.

Today, we’re going to start on the high note! It probably shouldn’t have been so surprising that I ended up loving this book, given the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever rated a Naomi Novik below an 8 (the vast majority of them have been 9s and 10s, even!). But as we’ve just discussed, I struggle with these sorts of collections. But, if anything, with this book Novik has convinced me that in the right hands, I can enjoy a short story collection just as much as the next person!

In fact, in many ways, it felt like this collection of stories was written just for me. Not only was I rewarded for being a reader of all of Novik’s previous series (we have two Temeraire stories, a “Spinning Silver” story, and a “Scholomance” story), but the other tales she tackled were also of peak interest for me. It was almost freakish! There was a Greek re-telling, a “Pride and Prejudice” re-telling, and a “Sherlock Homes” story that focused on Irene Adler! Can it get more perfect than that? Honestly, if I had sat down and picked out series/stories that I would have wanted to read short stories of, these would have been at the top of my list! And they were all done so well!

I don’t want to cover every single story in this collection (though I enjoyed them all, even if I had favorites), but I’ll talk about a few of my favorites. I really loved the aforementioned “Pride and Prejudice” story. Novik managed to not only re-tell the entire novel in an impressively thorough manner, but also adjusted it to fit within her Temeraire world. This version’s Elisabeth Bennet was a dragon rider and much of the tension with Mr. Darcy was derived from the fact that she’s a military member. It was both incredibly unique but also fit perfectly within the boundaries of the original story.

I also really loved returning to the “Scholomance” world. This story takes place after the events of the trilogy, giving readers a look into how the school operates now that El and Orion have done their work. Of course, it was great seeing some familiar faces (though, sadly, not El herself), but the new character to this story was also fantastic! Through her eyes, we see how other magical communities have dealt with the dangers of this world. There was also an added twist to certain aspects of the magic itself, which I felt was both very creative but also felt natural to this pre-existing world.

I also really enjoyed the Greek re-telling of the story of the Minotaur. Told from the perspective of the Minotaur’s sister, Novik infused the story with a whole new level of tragedy, but also beauty. The Irene Adler story was also good, though here I did feel that by the end of the story, I had been hoping for a bit more…I don’t know, point to it all. So, too, the “Spinning Silver” story was also good. It was a shortened version (I believe this was the first attempt at the story that was later expanded into the full length novel), but essentially hit the same beats, though had a different ending. While I enjoyed reading this one, it did hit home how much I loved the novel version. This one just didn’t pack the same punch, and I enjoyed the ending of the original novel better.

While none of the stories were misses, I did want a bit more from a few of them. The collection begins with a pirate story which I think is the weakest of the bunch (a bit unfortunate that it’s first). There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it also didn’t seem to have a lot new to say or offer. Likewise, there’s a story about fairy wishes gone wrong which I really liked, but then it felt like it ended abruptly, almost feeling as if it was the first chapter to an entire book. I was mostly just mad that I couldn’t keep reading it! And lastly, I also enjoyed the look into the new world that her next series will take place within, but this story itself also felt a bit listless. I wasn’t clear whether these were the characters we would be following in the next book or not, but as it stands, by the time the story ends, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it as a story on its own.

Overall, this was an excellent collection! I think I can even say that it’s my favorite short story collection of all time (take from that what you will, given my general lack of interest/familiarity with the genre). I think most any fantasy fan would find something to like from this book. Though I will say that it’s one of those collections that greatly rewards readers familiar with Novik’s entire catalogue of work; it’s practically a must for fans of her books!

Rating 9: Absolutely fantastic, introducing readers to entire new worlds while also re-warding fans with a return to beloved worlds and characters.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Buried Deep and Other Stories” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Collections of Short Stories and Books I’m Dying to Get My Hands On.

Diving Into Sub-Genres: Sherlock/Watson Mysteries

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We each have our own preferred genres of choice. Kate loves horrors and thrillers, really anything that will keep her up at night! And Serena enjoys escaping through hidden doors into realms of magic and adventure. We also read mysteries, historical fiction, graphic novels, etc. etc. And that’s not even counting the multitude of sub-genres contained within each greater genre. In this series, one of us will present a list of our favorites from within a given sub-genre of one of our greater preferred genres.

There is an entirely different subgenre of mystery fiction that is focused on detectives more broadly and then gets more nuanced from there (hardboiled, noir, etc.). But I’m an unabashed Sherlock Holmes fan, so I’m just skipping over all of those (to potentially be covered later) and just going straight to my favorite version of the genre: Sherlock/Watson re-tellings or re-imagings.

At a certain point, Holmes has become such the quintessential mold of what a mystery book detectives look like that all clever detectives start to look like him. But while Holmes himself is an excellent character, I think the true appeal of the original stories was the dynamic created between both Holmes and Watson. That being the case, I’m going to focus on stories that more directly re-tell or recreate this relationship. There are tons of examples out there, but I’m going to draw from a few of my personal favorites, as well as some of the more creative takes on this famous duo!

Book: “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” by Laurie R. King

I believe this was my first exposure to a re-telling of Sherlock Holmes! It’s also one of those crazily impressive series where I remember picking up the first book when I was in high school and yet there are still new books coming out today! Admittedly, I’m very behind on the series as a whole, but this still remains high on my list of recommendations for readers looking for a new version of the classic duo. It is also one of the more-closely-tied series to to the original, serving more as a sequel to the classics than as a re-imagining overall with the story starting out on a Sherlock Holmes who has been long retired. He goes on to meet the main character of the story, Mary Russell, who becomes his apprentice and, fairly early in the series, his wife. However, the romantic relationship is very, very far down the list of focal points of the series, with the stories more often centering around the partnership of equals that forms between Russell and Holmes. As it is a long running series, there are definite highs and lows to be found, but the first 8-10 books were all solid entries from my memory!

Book: “Shadows Over Baker Street” edited by Micahel Reaves and John Pelan

While I haven’t read this entire collection, the short story version of “A Study in Emerald” (which we read for bookclub a few months ago) is included within. Like that story, the collection mashes together classic Sherlock characters and plots alongside aspects of H.P. Lovecraft’s horror worlds. It’s such a strange concept, but sometimes the more odd the mash-up, the more exciting the creative result is in the end! If you’re looking for a more wild take on the classic detective, than this might be a collection worth checking out!

Book: “A Study in Charlotte” by Brittany Cavallaro

This YA book plays around with several aspects of the original. Instead of following the original characters, the story jumps forward several generations, taking place in a contemporary setting and following Jamie Watson as he is thrown into the path of Charlotte Holmes, the great-great-great granddaughter of the original Holmes. Of course, it must contain a mystery at its heart, and this time the duo must not only solve a murder, but also clear their own names, for they are the primary suspects! This is a great introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes, especially for younger readers who may feel more comfortable picking up a story set in the modern era.

Book: “Jackaby” by William Ritter

This is probably the furthest removed from the original story as any of the books. I could probably create an entirely separate list that is just mystery novels with duos who read as Sherlock and Watson without being directly tied to that series in any way. This is one of those examples. The story takes place in a fantasy world, and the famous detective in this version is a man named Jackaby. However, the book follows the “Watson-like” character, a young woman named Abigail Rook who becomes his assistant as they investigate the supernatural. There are several books in this series, and I very much enjoyed the ones I read. This is definitely a good read for those looking for “Sherlock” vibes, but who are willing to follow the story into brand new territory!

Book: “A Study in Scarlet Women” by Sherry Thomas

No one who reads this blog will be surprised to see this one here! I’ve read a bunch of Sherlock Holmes stories (including everything on this list), and this one is definitely my favorite! Thomas masterfully captures the tone, setting, and style of mysteries that is found in the originals. But she also manages to re-imagine many of the characters into gender-swapped versions of themselves, all while remaining true to the core concepts of their identities. Charlotte Holmes is very much her own character, but at the same time, she is also immediately identifiable as much like the original Holmes. Similarly, the gender-swapped Watson is also fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about this series. And if any readers have been delaying reading it for fear of how much the gender-swapping would impact the characters, do yourself a favor and check it out immediately! I think it will surprise you!

Book: “Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson” by Lyndsay Faye

To now go full circle, we will round off the list with a book that follows the original characters largely written as they were first introduced. The twist, of course, is that they are now solving the Jack the Ripper killings. There is much to like about this book, but one of my favorite aspects it the way that Faye returned to the style of Watson recounting the events of the plot itself. This book is also great for how much attention and detail went into the historical aspects of the story. It’s a great read for both fans of Sherlock Holmes as well as those who enjoy Jack the Ripper stories, with an emphasis on historical accuracy.

What are some of your favorite Sherlock/Watson stories ? Let us know in the comments!

Serena’s Review: “The Gods Below”

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Book: “The Gods Below” by Andrea Stewart

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: The series is set in a world ravaged by ancient magic, where precious gemstones bestow magical abilities on the few individuals able to harness their power. Full of clandestine power struggles and the battles between gods, the story follows Hakara, a young woman searching for her missing sister and who will do anything to find her — even lead a rebellion against the gods themselves.

Review: While I haven’t reviewed them all on the blog, I have read the previous trilogy put out by this author and very much enjoyed it. It’s been a bit, but from what I remember, her biggest strength was in the creativity of her world-building, a crucial skill for a fantasy author. On top of my previous experience with her books to recommend her, we all know I’m a sucker for stories about sisters, so this was an obvious choice to pick up this fall!

While I did have a few quibbles here and there, I largely enjoyed this read. Like the author’s previous trilogy, the world and lore of this world were creative and interesting. Further, everything was introduced in a very organic way, with limited info-dumping passages or awkward exposition-y dialogue. I also very much enjoyed the beginning of the story itself, as we set up the scenario with the two sisters who have become separated and working to re-unite throughout the story.

There were also some interesting themes explored over the course of the book. Specifically, the author offers up a commentary on climate change in a unique manner. Notably, she didn’t bash readers over the head with this metaphor either, but allowed the story to naturally progress through this theme, with readers taking as much (or little, I guess) from it as they would like.

I also generally liked our main characters. The cast slowly expands as the story continues, and none of them were big misses. Rather, my problems came in a bit with my expectations. For one thing, all of the characters felt fairly simplistic, with familiar motivations and arcs to ones we’ve seen in other similar fantasy stories. And then, at the odd moment, they would make decisions that wouldn’t seem to line up with these previously established factors about their characters. I guess I expected a bit more, especially from a seasoned fantasy author who already has a completed trilogy under her belt. And, judging by this book alone (which perhaps isn’t fair, as we have three books’ worth of time with the other characters), I do feel like the character work presented in the previous series was better. Though, now that I’m writing that, I do remember I had at least one set of POV characters who I really struggled with there. So perhaps this is simply still not a strong point for this author’s writing currently.

That said, I was mostly pleased with this story. While it wasn’t breaking any new barriers as far as fantasy fiction goes, it was servable and enjoyable. The writing was steady and engaging, and I particularly appreciated the detailed effort that went into the world-building and the history. The characters could have perhaps been deeper, but they also weren’t unlikable, which goes far for me.

Rating 8: An interesting new world to explore, though hopefully the characters will gain more depth as the series continues.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Gods Below” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2024 SFF Books with Female Leads or Co-Leads

Serena’s Review: “The Scarlet Throne”

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Book: “The Scarlet Throne” by Amy Leow

Publishing Info: Orbit, September 2024

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

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

Book Description: Binsa is a “living goddess,” chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.

But now her priests are growing suspicious. When a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position, Binsa and her demon strike a To magnify his power and help her wrest control from the priests, she will sacrifice human lives. She’ll do anything not to end up back on the streets, forgotten and alone. But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade in her quest for power? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.

Review: Would it be shallow to admit that I initially picked this one up to check it out further because of the cool black panther on the cover? Yes? Well, I definitely didn’t do that then…That aside, I also was intrigued by the themes hinted at it in the summary. The lengths one will go to to hold on to power, always an interesting topic!

This was a strange read. On one hand, I very much appreciated the character work that went into it. This is a dark look at the lengths to which people will go not only to survive but to cling to the power they have on hand. Much of the plot (such as it was) is caught up in this character study and much page time is devoted to the exploration of these topics. So on one hand, I appreciate the fact that the author didn’t shy away from the realities of the sorts of characters she was writing. The characters were allowed to go down dark paths and commit vile actions.

That said, however, it didn’t make for a very enjoyable reading experience. Not only were many of the characters incredibly unlikable, but there were also aspects of the decision making that were very frustrating. I get the idea, that those who are operating in survival mode are just looking to get through the present in whatever way works. However, very early on it became obvious that these tactics would never work in the long run, so it was frustrating seeing characters make decisions again and again that would only lead to discovery and disaster. Again, yes, this is a very true-to-life mode of behavior, but it made for an aggravating reading experience.

I also was a bit disappointed to discover that this was the first book in a series (a trilogy, I believe). The ending to this book is tragic, as one would expect given the nature of the story. And I think there would have been something more powerful about allowing the story to end there. As it stands, the promise of more to come almost works against what this story was trying to do on its own. I feel like the author could have easily cut it off a few pages earlier, and then just tacked on the ending of this book to the beginning of the next. This way, this book could have read as a stand-alone OR as the first in a series.

In the end, this was an odd reading experience for me. Quality-wise, I think this book is fairly high. The author set out to tell a story about a morally dark character and succeeded in thoroughly committing to that theme. However, for a character-driven book, I had a hard time enjoying it simply because I disliked so many of the characters so much. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy should probably still give this one a go, even if it wasn’t really for me.

Rating 7: The story tackles a dark character and explores themes of power and survival, but given the nature of these topics, I struggled to truly enjoy this read.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Scarlet Throne” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Main Characters Who Aren’t Afraid To Get Their Hands Dirty.