Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “The Witchwood Knot”

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Book: “The Witchwood Knot” by Olivia Atwater

Publishing Info: Starwatch Press, November 2023

Where Did I Get this Book:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

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

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

Publishing Info: Bramble, September 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “The Hurricane Wars”

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Book: “The Hurricane Wars” by Thea Guanzon

Publishing Info: HarperVoyager, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from ALAAC 2023

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

Book Description: All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn has found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom. But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire’s shadows.

Prince Alaric, the emperor’s only son and heir, has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire’s rule with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, Alaric has never been bested. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. In a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen.

Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion–one that could save their world…or destroy it.

An exquisite fantasy brimming with unforgettable characters, sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance, and richly drawn worlds, The Hurricane Wars marks the breathtaking debut of an extraordinary new writer.

Review: This is another highly anticipated read for the fall. How do I know? Well, let’s just say that the booth at ALA that had these ARCs was…um…

At the time, I didn’t know why, but I have since discovered that this book was developed from a very popular fanfiction story. And, the world being what it is, of course that fanfiction was Reylo. We’ll get into that more a bit later. All of this being the case, I was a bit apprehensive when I started the book. Me and hyped books don’t have a great track record, and believe it or not, I don’t always love being the downer who rains on fan parades. But the clouds have parted, miracles happen, and I, in fact, enjoyed this one quite a bit!

Overall, I think this book has a lot to recommend it. At the same time, I’m not above admitting that I think this might also be a case of “right book, right mood” for me, as there are definitely aspects of this story that I think, in other books, I’d be focusing on more critically.

It’s always a tough job to re-interpret a previously existing story, but I think this one gives a good template for how it’s done. I haven’t read the original story, and while I can easily see where changes were made, I can also fairly confidently say that if I had read this book blind, I wouldn’t have questioned anything I was reading. The world-building felt complete. The magic system felt fully fleshed out and worked on the strength of its own concept, no “Force” references needed. I also thought the conflict and building romantic tension between the two main characters built in a natural way, not relying on any previously established buy-in of these two as Rey and Kylo cutouts.

The story is split between their POVS, but we spend much more of our time in Talasyn’s head, making her feel like the primary character with only brief glimpses of Alaric. As someone who struggles with dual POV, I appreciated this uneven approach to page time, as it better allowed me to understand Talasyn’s own story and arc. If the next book switches to a bigger focus on Alaraic, that would be a nice balance, too. As it is, Talasyn’s journey in this story is very much centered around loyalty, trust, and the tensions between the family you’re born to and the family you choose. All of this felt very well-established and really centered Talasyn’s conflicts throughout the story, beyond just her relationship with Alarcic. This is one example of how I think this book succeeded for me where other very hyped books have not.

Readers of fan fiction may recognize some of the stylizations of the writing in this book, especially in the way that the romance is built up and ebbs and flows throughout. But I think that the solid world-building and the centering of Talasyn’s history as a solider and her drive to protect those she claims as her own elevates the story beyond some of the limitations often found in books that get too bogged down in the central romantic conflict. Instead, because I felt invested in the larger story, it was easier for me to also become invested in the romance, which had its fair share of drama and angst, something that is usually an immediate turn off for me. But, like the best fan fiction, I was fully in it, fully caught up in the whirl wind of these two.

Beyond that, I appreciated how dark the author allowed this book to be. Both Alaric and Talasyn are soldiers. They have killed people and witnessed horrors. Even more importantly, the book doesn’t fail to take a hard look at Alaric’s role in the destructive force that is his country, a tyrannical institution that has razed everything before it, all in the name of “the greater good.” I especially appreciated the fact that much of this goes unresolved by the end of this book. These are big topics and for Talasyn to somehow get over it, or even for Alaric to open his eyes to the reality around him, all in the first book would have done some severe damage to the believability of the tale. Instead, the story commits’ to the ongoing saga that it is, with this book very much reading as just the jumping off platform for the larger conflict, both world-wide and between these two.

So, where does that leave us? Well, I’m currently debating whether I can resist spoiling myself by reading the original fanfiction or trying to hold out for the second book. So far, so good, but we’ll see how it goes as the months pass. Readers of the original story I’m sure will enjoy this, as well as fantasy lovers who enjoy dramatic, slow-burn romances. However, I can admit that, objectively, this does lean in to the angst and miscommunication as far as the love story goes, so if those are pet peeves of yours, you might need to beware. For me, I guess the rest of it worked so well that, for once, I didn’t mind and simply enjoyed the ride!

Rating 8: Electrifying, with sparks flying not only on the battle field but also within a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hurricane Wars ” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2023 and Published fan fiction

Kate’s Review: “VenCo”

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Book: “VenCo” by Cherie Dimaline

Publishing Info: William Morrow, February 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Description: Lucky St. James, a Métis millennial living with her cantankerous but loving grandmother Stella, is barely hanging on when she discovers she will be evicted from their tiny Toronto apartment. Then, one night, something strange and irresistible calls out to Lucky. Burrowing through a wall, she finds a silver spoon etched with a crooked-nosed witch and the word SALEM, humming with otherworldly energy.

Hundreds of miles away in Salem, Myrna Good has been looking for Lucky. Myrna works for VenCo, a front company fueled by vast resources of dark money.

Lucky is familiar with the magic of her indigenous ancestors, but she has no idea that the spoon links her to VenCo’s network of witches throughout North America. Generations of witches have been waiting for centuries for the seven spoons to come together, igniting a new era, and restoring women to their rightful power.

But as reckoning approaches, a very powerful adversary is stalking their every move. He’s Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself.

To find the last spoon, Lucky and Stella embark on a rollicking and dangerous road trip to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where the final showdown will determine whether VenCo will usher in a new beginning…or remain underground forever.

Review: Fall is winding down, with American Thanksgiving later this week and temperatures getting colder and colder here in Minnesota. But I still like clinging to the Autumnal feelings as long as I can, and that means I’m also reading books that just feel like Autumn. That was part of the reason I was drawn to “VenCo” by Cherie Dimaline, a witch story about women drawn together from all parts of North America in hopes of coming to their full strength to help change the world for the better. Witch tales always feel like Fall to me, and I liked the whispers of a feminist edge to this book. Seems like Autumnal reading to me!

I enjoyed the witch lore and world building of this story. Dimaline makes clear rules and mythos about how witches are called, what functions they serve, and how they interact with the world and with each other. I also liked the way that the coven/VenCo itself was structured, with seven witches working below three top witches that are called The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone (a clear reference to the Neopagan Triple Goddess). I also liked the way that while there have always been witches, there have also always been witch hunters, and I liked the origins of the SALEM spoons that all of the witches in the coven find to serve as totems that bring them all together. While we don’t get to see a lot of overt magical moments outside of scrying, I did like the implications that these women come together and through their companionship they will bring out their powers while also finding the power of themselves, whether it’s a woman leaving an abusive relationship, or a trans girl becoming comfortable in her own identity and truth. What can I say, I like magical stories that place emphasis on women bringing their strength out through companionship with other women.

All that said, I did think that we could have used a bit more exploration into the characters themselves. While all the members of the coven get some back stories, once their back stories are told they are pretty shallow. I also would have killed to have more backstory for The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone, as there were a LOT of questions about them that I had once the book was finished (there was a particular revelation that happened in the last two pages that I really would have loved to have more details about!). And going back to the note above about the moments of magic, I do wish that we had seen more of that instead of just the promise that once the witches come together as seven they will be able to solve the world’s problems. It was a lot of telling without a lot of showing, and I really wanted more by the time the book was finished.

“VenCo” is an entertaining witchy read. I had higher hopes than what was delivered, but it’s a cozy read for Autumn.

Rating 6: A fun and witchy tale brimming with sisterhood, “VenCo” is an entertaining fantasy, though it could have used a little more exploration of the characters and their depths.

Reader’s Advisory:

“VenCo” is included on the Goodereads lists “Coven Book Club”, and “Scary Mommy Book Club”.

Serena’s Review: “Tonight, I Burn”

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Book: “Tonight, I Burn” by Katharine J. Adams

Publishing Info: Orbit, October 2023

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

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

Book Description: A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut. 

Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett. 

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.

But one morning, Penny’s favorite sister Ella doesn’t return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death. 

Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny’s world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic. 

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

Review: I’ve read a number of witch books this fall and mostly enjoyed them all! Of course, it is the time of year for this type of book, but it also seems that there is a current trend in YA and adult fantasy towards these types of stories recently. That being the case, I was excited to check out this book that promised an intricate new world, darker thematic content, plus a swoon-worthy romance! Unfortunately, while I think it might work well for other readers, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.

But let’s start with the positives. Right there in the premise the book is setting up a truly dark existence, one in which a witch must be burned at the stake every night to patrol the realm. Yes, they are meant to come back to life the next day, but that does very little to combat the true horror of a death in that manner every night. This was such an interesting concept to begin with. Added on top of that you have the mystery of why one witch fails to return which propels the action of our heroine. It’s an excellent set up and I was quickly pulled into the general concept of the story.

However, as the book progressed, I began to struggle. First with the heroine herself and then with the romances as they were introduced. Fairly quickly, I began to feel frustrated with Penny and some of her decision making. It felt at times that she was simply doing things to prove that she was doing something in the first place, rather than for any true reason. Moments like this left me with the impression of her as a fairly immature character. Again and again she received praise for making decisions that were, on their face, pretty bad.

And then we get into the romance and the love interests. So, I’ll be honest, part of this is on me in that I read the book description and didn’t pick up on the fact that this was a polyamory story. In my defense, I don’t think it’s super obvious in the summary either. But either way, as a reader I often struggle to enjoy polyamory stories. That being the case, I usually avoid them simply so I don’t have a host of middling to negative reviews here on the blog of a subgenre that I know others enjoy but just aren’t for me. Know thyself and all of that.

This book does a good job (back hand compliment time!) in highlighting one of my struggles with this type of romance: it’s hard enough to write a solid, fully-fleshed out love story between two characters in the page count of a single book; thusly, it’s almost impossible to do justice to three characters and two love stories within the same number of pages. And here, like in so many other instances, I simply couldn’t become invested in these romances. Sure, they were each attracted to each other. But beyond that? I never felt like any time was given to why these characters were falling for one another, what true connections bound them together other than the fairly rote parallels between Penny’s powers and the fact that one love interest represents Death and the other Life. Beyond that, I personally just don’t enjoy polyamory romances, so this was probably never going to be a great success for me. But for readers who do enjoy these stories, this might still work, though objectively, in this case, I still think the love stories themselves were fairly watered down to simple attraction and not much else.

Overall, I really enjoyed the world-building and magic of this world, but I struggled with the main character and the romances too much to truly enjoy this book. But if you’re a fan of polyamory stories and want to check out an interesting, fresh take on witches and witch burning, this might be a good book for you!

Rating 6: Not to my taste, but it did offer some interesting fantasy concepts that I’d never come across before!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tonight, I Burn” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Vampires and Werewolves and Witches…Oh My!

Serena’s Review: “Foxglove”

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

Book: “Foxglove” by Adalyn Grace

Publishing Info:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, August 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: own it!

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

Book Description: The captivating sequel to the Gothic-infused Belladonna, in which Signa and Death face a supernatural foe determined to tear them apart.

A duke has been murdered. The lord of Thorn Grove has been framed. And Fate, the elusive brother of Death, has taken up residence in a sumptuous estate nearby. He’s hellbent on revenge after Death took the life of the woman he loved many years ago…and now he’s determined to have Signa for himself, no matter the cost.

Signa and her cousin Blythe are certain that Fate can save Elijah Hawthorne from prison if they will entertain his presence. But the more time the girls spend with Fate, the more frightening their reality becomes as Signa exhibits dramatic new powers that link her to Fate’s past. With mysteries and danger around every corner, the cousins must decide if they can trust one another as they navigate their futures in high society, unravel the murders that haunt their family, and play Fate’s unexpected games—all with their destinies hanging in the balance.

Dangerous, suspenseful, and seductive, this sequel to Signa and Death’s story is as utterly romantic as it is perfectly deadly.

Review: After loving “Belladonna” when I read it two summers ago, this was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. But as you may have noticed, this was published back in August and here I am only just getting to a review in November. Well, that’s because I have very complicated feelings regarding this book, and even while composing this review, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it all. So, let’s just see where things take us.

One thing I can easily say without qualification is that overall quality of the writing remains excellent in this book. The author has a natural, seamless style to her writing that excels at both painting vivid settings as well as describing deep wells of emotion. My struggles with this book were definitely not down to any lack of ability or talent. Ultimately, I think it’s the structure of the book that failed it. And even saying that, I don’t necessarily have a good solution to the problem, which is probably why I’ve held off on reviewing this one for so long. It’s hard to write a critical review when you can also look at it and understand why all of the choices were made and not have many alternative options to offer for improvement. It’s the rock-meets-hard-place of reviews!

The book is essentially now trying to tell two stories, and that is most notably demonstrated by the fact that the POV is now split between Signa and Blythe. Unfortunately, the needs of either character’s arc individually negatively affected the outcomes of the other character’s story throughout the book. For example, we meet Fate at the very end of the first book. Much of this book is made up of Signa and Death attempting to out-maneuver Fate who, for his own reasons, is out to claim Signa for his own. Thusly, Fate is very much the antagonist of this tale and can be truly despicable at times. Conversely, from Blythe’s perspective we see the fairly obvious set up for book three that is placing these two in a distinctive “enemies-to-lovers” position. So here you have Fate who has been (rightly!) a villain for most of this book also being set up as a romantic interest for the other main character. It’s an uncomfortable and awkward experience when trying to establish how you’re meant to feel about this character.

Further, there’s a great mystery at the heart of this book about Signa’s own identity and Fate’s interest in her. But the very nature of this mystery is at its core one that undercuts much of the progress made in the previous book. “Belladonna” was a perfect exploration of Signa’s identity and abilities, so to have that all regurgitated here was both frustrating and disappointing. Especially when, given the nature of other story decisions, much of the explanation for this mystery felt very obvious right from the start to anyone who was paying attention. I will say, I very much appreciated how the author avoided allowing any of this upheaval to undercut the love story between Signa and Death. There is a very real way that this could have played out differently in a much more angsty, disappointing manner. On the other hand, while what we got from these two was ultimately very good, there also wasn’t very much of it, again because the story was trying to do too much. Death barely showed up on the page at all, it seemed.

The interesting part of this all is that I didn’t dislike Blythe’s chapters. It would be easy to look at this book and think that the solution would be to simply cut out her POV and allow the story more breathing room to finish up Signa’s story. But, as much as I loved Signa in the first book, she was also a fairly passive, frustrating character in this book. There’s another murder mystery (here is the REAL part of the story that could perhaps have been cut somehow) and yet while Signa is constantly saying that she is working on figuring this murder out, Blythe is the one who takes action. Much of this book is Signa reacting to what is going on around her and Blythe, for better or worse, charging in full speed to do something, anything about the madness swirling around her. And, while Fate is made out largely as a villain in this book, the few glimpses we get of him and Blythe outside of this arena were very compelling. For example, they play a game of croquet and I was getting major Anthony/Kate vibes from Fate and Bythe’s competive nature.

Fate angry clapping as a human woman outplays an immortal at croquet

So, where does this mess of a review (and book, honestly) leave us? I’m not sure. The story we get for Signa and Death is necessary to wrap up their own tale. And the introduction to Fate and Blythe is necessary to set-up what I imagine will be solely their story in book three. But these two stories don’t sit well together at all, often actively undercutting the success of the other. I was probably most disappointed with the change in Signa from the spunky, coming-into-her-own woman we had in the last book to the much more passive character we had here, one who is again retreading tired ground about her powers and identity. But I’m also super excited about Blythe’s story going forward, so in that way, the book was definitely a success as I’ll be first in line to get my hands on that one. Ultimately, I think that this book will be a bit disappointing to fans of the first book. That said, I also strongly recommend reading it to those same fans as I’m hopeful that some of the discomfort of this book will pay off in the potential strength of the next.

Rating 7: Weighed down by added characters and lore, “Foxglove” fails to live up to the high that was “Belladonna.” That said, it introduces a lot of strong potential for the third book, and I’ll definitely be checking that one out when it arrives!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Foxglove” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Flower Faces and Death as a Character.

Serena’s Review: “The Hunting Moon”

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Book: “The Hunting Moon” by Susan Dennard

Publishing Info: Tor Teen, November 2023

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

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

Book Description: Winnie Wednesday has gotten everything she thought she wanted. She passed the deadly hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries, and overnight, she has become a local celebrity.

The Girl Who Jumped. The Girl Who Got Bitten.

Unfortunately, it all feels wrong. For one, nobody will believe her about the new nightmare called the Whisperer that’s killing hunters each night. Everyone blames the werewolf, even though Winnie is certain the wolf is innocent.

On top of that, following her dad’s convoluted clues about the Dianas, their magic, and what happened in Hemlock Falls four years ago is leaving her with more questions than answers.

Then to complicate it all, there is still only one person who can help her: Jay Friday, the boy with plenty of problems all his own.

As bodies and secrets pile up around town, Winnie finds herself questioning what it means to be a true Wednesday and a true Luminary—and also where her fierce-hearted loyalties might ultimately have to lie.

Previously Reviewed: “The Luminaries”

Review: So, it may surprise some of you that I’m even reviewing this book given how little I enjoyed the first book. But as I have liked books from Dennard in the past, I wanted to give this series another go. Some of my negative reaction to the first book came down to aspects of the plot and the writing that I wasn’t expecting. Namely, the fact that it was a contemporary fantasy story and the style of writing itself. Knowing both of those factors now, I wanted to see what my experience of the second book in this series would be like. And, while it still wasn’t a huge success for me, I did end up liking this one more than the first.

Let’s start with what I did like! While the YA and adult fantasy genre has been having a moment in the sun for the last few years, I think this book stands out from the pack in the heavy focus on magical creatures and various monsters. Usually, you have a book that has one monster/mythical creature (like the “Mothman” books we’ve seen this fall), but not a book like this that includes a number of different supernatural beings. Speaking of supernatural, this aspect of the storytelling definitely reminded me of the TV show, “Supernatural,” and that’s a pretty high compliment as far as I’m concerned!

As for the plot itself, I was able to stay mostly invested, however I wasn’t overly surprised by any of the twists and turns that we saw. In fact, there was one particular “reveal” that I thought was so obvious that surely there was something else going on, that characters did in fact know this thing and simply weren’t really addressing it for a mysterious reason, or something! I even went back and looked at my ebook of the first book to confirm that no, I guess this particularly thing wasn’t revealed and was, indeed, still a “mystery.”

Much of Winnie’s story and the romance were just OK for me, too. Having a better sense of the type of book that I was going to read did help set my expectations more appropriately. But this book did highlight that while I can still enjoy YA books, sometimes greatly so, there are distinct examples where a book is not going to fit for the simple fact that I am well past the target age group. The love story, in particular, felt very young, even for YA. And while many of Winnie’s thoughts and feelings read as true to a teenage girl, they were not the sorts of struggles that I personally find as compelling to read about anymore.

All of that said, if you enjoyed the first book, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. On the other hand, if the first book didn’t work for you as well, this one probably isn’t going to be turning that opinion fully around, even if it was stronger in some aspects.

Rating 7: While a bit predictable as far as the plot goes, this book will likely appeal to readers who enjoyed this world and these characters, particularly its emphasis on supernatural beings.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Hunting Moon” can be found on this (who knew there was a list for this?) Goodreads list: Animal Sculls on Cover.

Serena’s Review: “The Queen of Days”

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Book: “The Queen of Days” by Greta Kelly

Publishing Info: Harper Voyager, October 2023

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

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

Book Description: For Balthazar and his family of thieves, stealing a statue during the annual celebration of the god Karanis was just a good bit of fun…or a way to stick it to the governor who murdered his parents. And yeah, the small fortune in reward doesn’t hurt—even if his boss also hired the mysterious Queen of Days to join the crew as “the weapon of last resort…”

Whatever that means.

But Bal doesn’t know the ceremony isn’t simply empty words and dusty tradition; it’s true magic. The kind of magic that rips open a portal for the god himself. Only the idol that Karanis planned on using for a body now lies broken at the Queen of Days’ feet. And half of it is missing.

With the aid of a lovable brawler, a society lady turned bomb maker, a disgraced soldier, and a time-eating demon, Bal must hunt down the missing half of the statue if he has any hope of earning his money, keeping his crew alive…and perhaps even saving all of humanity. But as his journey sends him racing through the city—and across realities—he discovers that doing all this might just doom the city.

The city be damned. It’s time to kill a god.

Review: Heaven knows I’ve had an up and down experience with these multi-POV heist books. And yet I keep coming back! I guess it simply feels like one of those situations where if multi-POV is going to work, a heist book is the place to find it! And I’ve read the good, the bad, and man oh man, the ugly. This one stood out, however, in that it has been marketed as an adult high fantasy novel, rather than the typical YA fare that we’ve usually seen. So, let’s see how it stands up to all the other books like this!

I’ll just lead with the bad news: while this wasn’t the bad or the ugly, it was also just on the edge of good for me. In that, I enjoyed this book overall, but the reading experience was also frustrating at times and left me feeling a bit let down in the end. But let’s get into what did work. First off, the writing was strong, vividly depicting the rich world-building that went into this story. It was easy for me to quickly settle myself in this world and look forward to what was to come. I also appreciated the style choice to use both first person and third person to distinguish between a few of the view points. As I mentioned in my review for “Starling House,” I think this “one simple trick” can do a lot to help elevate a multi-POV book into a more interesting reading experience all around.

That said, I’m not sure that the first person style helped with some of the characters themselves. Bal, the leader of the group, reads as the main character of the book, something that the first person tense further emphasizes. However, he was also the most frustrating character, often making choices that seemed to prioritize his own goals while risking the safety of his crew. Using the first person perspective, the reader has an up close and personal look at some of the inner workings of these decisions, and, frankly, that didn’t help matters as he fixated on his ex-fiancé and other similarly frustrating topics. On the other hand, I did enjoy the other characters more, something that was probably helped by the more omniscient view from the third person perspective. Plus, cool magical powers are always a draw!

This was also one of those rather frustrating reads where I was able to get into the book quite quickly but struggled to maintain my focus over the course of the book. Much of the plot and pacing felt very familiar, and I wasn’t truly surprised by any of the twists and turns the story took. Of course, a book doesn’t need to be surprising to be a success, but something about the reading experience felt familiar in a bland way, for me. That said, if you’re a high fantasy reader who really enjoys multi-POV books, this one may be worth checking out!

Rating 7: While the world-building was compelling, I struggled to maintain my interest in a story that felt very familiar.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Queen of Days” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best books of October, 2023

Serena’s Review: “What the River Knows”

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Book: “What the River Knows” by Isabel Ibanez

Publishing Info: Wednesday Books, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book:

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

Book Description: Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

Review: I’ve been highly anticipating this book ever since I saw it floating around as a title that was releasing this fall. While the author’s previous book wasn’t a homerun for me, I did enjoy it and was excited to see what she had in store next. I also liked the sound of this one, with its mixture of fantasy and historical genres. All of that said, luckily for me I didn’t see the fact that it was also being promoted to fans of “The Mummy” (Brendan Fraiser version!) until after I had read it cuz…yeah, that’s probably one of my favorite movies and this book ain’t that!

This book really didn’t work for me, but as always, I want to start with some positives. First off, I think the true strength of this book comes in the form of dialogue. There were some genuinely funny lines that had me chuckling, and I liked our main characters best in these moments. Once they went back to their internal thoughts, I immediately went back to having problems with the story. I’ll also say that for readers who enjoy will-they/won’t they rather angsty romances, this one might be a good fit. But ultimately, I do think the book struggled in many different arenas.

First off, the pacing of the book was odd. It was one of those strange cases where the action almost started off too quickly. In this instance, I was told quite quickly why I should care about Inez and her concerns, but I wasn’t given enough time with the character to actually establish this myself. Instead, the plot starts off right away and Inez’s decisions immediately come across as foolish as best and downright ridiculous at worst. Foolish decisions can work, but the reader needs to care about the character and understand them as a person to be willing to go along with silly choices without damaging the perception of the character. That said, I’m not sure I was ever going to like Inez, as things didn’t improve as the story continued.

Once she met Whit, Inez became even more difficult to sympathize with. It’s a classic “lust at first sight” situation, and her continued interest in what she soon learns is a man in a committed relationship was pretty unappealing. From a basic structure standpoint, much of the “tension” of the story is built around rather ridiculous inner angst, rather than any actual build-up in the romantic interactions between them. We don’t get any real movement on that front until well past the 50% mark. Whit was fine as a leading man, but he also didn’t strike me as standing out from “classic good looking guy,” complete with all of the stereotypical descriptions that come with that type of character.

Beyond the characters, I also was disappointed with the world-building. There was so much potential to this world, and I was immediately intrigued by the concept of magic that was halfway forgotten and the ties to Egypt and the history of archeology at the time. But…it just kind of went nowhere? Especially the magic. There was never any greater explanation about how any of this worked, why it would ever be forgotten if it was as powerful as it seemed to be, and how any of it really worked together.

Lastly, I have to admit that I was immediately put on my guard in the very first chapter when the writing itself seemed to falter over fairly basic concepts. I can point to two points in the first few pages where the writing actively changes tenses between first person past and first person present and this continued throughout the book. This is just sloppy writing, unfortunately. These weren’t changes used to break between perspectives or chapters, but switches made from one sentence to another. It was incredibly distracting and threw me out of the book each time it happened. Other readers may be less bothered by things like this, so if you’re the sort who doesn’t bat an eye, this may not even be noticeable. But as it significantly impacted my experience of this book, I have to mention it.

I won’t be continuing with this series. And, honestly, given the pacing of the romance and the conclusion of this book, even if I had been enjoying it more, I think I would have struggled to want to continue, as I don’t think this ending lands well at all. Given a quick glance of the Goodreads page, I know that my opinion is a minority opinion, so definitely still give this book a go if you’ve been greatly anticipating it. However, if you love “The Mummy,”… temper your expectations.

Rating 5: Struggles all around: an unlikable leading lady, a strained romantic plot line, and some writing missteps that I just couldn’t get past, unfortunately.

Reader’s Advisory:

“What the River Knows” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Archaeology in Fiction and Palm Trees.

Serena’s Review: “The King -Killing Queen”

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

Book: “The King-Killing Queen” by Shawn Speakman

Publishing Info: Grim Oak Press, October 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!https://amzn.to/46p7y5w

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

Book Description: In this first book of a new trilogy author Anna Smith Spark calls “a dark love letter to high fantasy,” a woman discovers her unknown past carries with it a terrible future.

When Alafair Goode lay wounded during his quest to destroy Mordreadth the Great Darkness, a witch magicked and saved the future High King’s life to fulfill his destiny. Thereafter, all born to his line also cannot die, to be only undone by natural death.

Decades later, Sylvie Raventress is the devoted apprentice to the Master Historian stepbrother of the High King. It is a life of scholarly pursuit and privilege where one day she will take her instructor’s place and write her own histories. But beside Alafair’s deathbed, Sylvie and his scions learn a surprising truth—she is no orphan but is his named heir. Worse, when he dies, the witch’s curse is no more, leaving all of them suddenly mortal and vulnerable.

With her siblings loathing Sylvie’s selection and vying for her throne, she must rely on a Fae guide, a disgraced former First Knight, and a cantankerous light-weaver to restore the fracturing kingdom and become High Queen. And yet the thing none of them know is destiny has its own part to play too.

Review: I always love supporting authors who publish through smaller publishers, so I was excited to jump on the opportunity to read and review this book when I saw that it was coming out this fall. The cover is simply gorgeous, and a title like that is sure to catch the eye! While the book description itself sounded a bit generic as far as high fantasy goes, there’s also nothing wrong with going back to the basics if it’s done well! And other than few quibbles here and there, I think this was a solid fantasy read.

Right away, the overall tone of this book will hit nicely for classic fantasy readers. While the word “trope” gets thrown around a lot with much derision, often things only become tropes because some core part of the concept appeals to large swaths of readers. Such is the case with this book. We have family curses, orphans who are long-lost heirs, historic battles between Fae and humankind, and, of course, a good ole political battle between siblings all vying for a throne. All of these elements, while familiar, fit together neatly, pulling the reader into an almost nostalgic story that gallops from one scene of intrigue and danger to the next. The book is on the shorter side, but tons of plot and action is stuffed within the pages that we have.

What stood out most of all, however, was the main character, Sylvie. Not only was it also a breath of fresh air to be reading a fantasy novel that wasn’t comprised of a million and one POVs, but Sylvie herself was a fantastic leading lady. While some of the plot of the book wasn’t overly surprising, Sylvie often was. We are introduced to a fairly reserved, bookish sort of character who envisions a quiet future for herself. However, her ability to morph into a clear-eyed, and at times ruthless, heir to the throne who takes the responsibilities and sacrifices of that role seriously was incredibly impressive. It didn’t read as a character switch, which was also quite impressive. Somehow both versions of Sylvie fit alongside one another well, all anchored by her strong sense of commitment to those she loves and her role in the world. It seems like a strange thing to say, but I was so pleased that the author didn’t back down from some of the more ruthless moments that Sylvie must take part in. She doesn’t quibble, she doesn’t waver. It was refreshing, to say the least, to read a female character coming into power who doesn’t feel the need to apologize for the same decisions that a male counterpart would make without blinking an eye.

All of that said, towards the middle of the book, there were a few writing choices that began to grate on me a bit. There were a few moments that I was thrown out of the book by the repetition of facts or by the writing falling too closely to the “telling” side of things, rather than the “showing.” A few more edits could have potentially ironed out a few of these issues, but still, overall I found this to be a very enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a classic-feeling high fantasy novel, definitely give this one a go!

Rating 8: A jubilant return to classic high fantasy, Sylvie’s story is one of action, betrayal, and the strength it takes to rise to the challenges set before you.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The King-Killing Queen” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Fantasy Royalty.