Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “Wildbound”

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Book: “Wildbound” by Elayne Audrey Becker

Publishing Info: Tor Teen, August 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: With the assassination of Telyan’s king, the time for peace has passed.

Determined to make up for his failure to procure the stardust, Helos finds work as a healer at Fendolyn’s Keep, the military garrison to which Telyan’s exiled royals–and half its civilians–have fled. Racing against the Fallow Throes’ ticking clock, he endeavors to repair his relationship with Prince Finley and fight off the gathering shadows in his head, as the base around him prepares for war.

Half a continent away, his sister Rora is doing everything she can to reawaken the land and end Eradain’s slaughter of magical beings. Still reeling from the revelation that Eradain’s violent monarch is her half-brother, she journeys to the kingdom determined to infiltrate his court in disguise–and finds the seeds of rebellion are already stirring.

With a magical illness running rampant and the continent arming for battle, the three realms’ long-feared destruction seems inevitable. But the two shifters they believed would bring about Alemara’s ruin may in fact hold the key to its survival.

Previously Reviewed: “Forestborn”

Review: This book has been on my “most anticipated” list pretty much from the minute I finished the first book, “Forestborn.” It was a surprise read for me, as I went in with very few expectations. But now the situation is reversed, and I had tons of expectations for greatness when I picked this one up. And, while it didn’t quite reach the highs of the first book, it definitely didn’t let me down. Let’s get into the review.

The two shifters, prophesied to bring death to the land years ago, have been separated. Rora has gone north to try and gather intel and help form a resistance to the tyrannical leader (who happens to be their half brother) who is trying stamp magic out of the land. For his part, Helos is eager to return to his work as a healer. But soon enough he finds that he is unable to so easily slip back into his quiet life. Instead, with the knowledge that he and his sister are potentially in line for the throne in the north, Helos is beginning to see a very different future for himself.

I was a little hesitant when I opened this book and realized the POV was split between Rora and Helos. For one thing, I was very happy in my single-POV perspective in the last book. And for another thing, in that book at least, Helos was kind of an unreasonable grump who I didn’t foresee needing tons of time with going forward. But I’m happy to say that I was proven wrong! Not only were Helos’s chapters very good, but as it stands, Rora’s own story was so simple that this book couldn’t have existed if it had focused only on her events. Frankly, there were a few times when I felt the story lagged due to the slowness of her storyline.

For his part, Helos’s story focuses a lot on inner growth. Not only does he need to process the torture that he underwent in the first book, but we also see his struggles with finding a place for himself in the world. Where Rora was already comfortably working for the royal family, Helos was always floating in a more mixed role, working as a healer but also deeply in love with the youngest prince. On top of that, here he is beginning to come to grips with a future as a monarch himself. His story is very much one of having to find balance and a way forward when you have two extremes with regards to helping others: on one hand, a healer literally touches the people and provides care, and this can be incredibly rewarding. But is there a responsibility to take on the role of leader to help the greater good, even if that means a loss of the instant gratification that comes from being a healer? It’s all very good stuff and I think handled in a way that acknowledges the intricacies of these types of choices.

As I said, Rora’s story, unfortunately, is where the pacing of the book got held up. And the reason this book’s rating had to drop a bit for me from the first book’s place. Her story feels both very fragmented, with her jumping from one group and mission to a different group and mission and again with very little natural transition. Beyond that, she doesn’t have much of a personal arch, which just makes her story a bit harder to become truly invested in.

That said, I was still much more interested in Rora and Wes’s romance than in Helos and Finley. Even spending more time with Finley here, I couldn’t shake my impression that he came across very much as a “manic pixie dream boy,” without much true personality to come by, other than being this perfect, charismatic bean. Which, frankly, I’m just not that interested in. And then, due to the nature of the story, Rora and Wes are apart for much of the book. I kept anxiously awaiting them to be reunited, and it was completely worth it in the end. But I do think this long delayed reunion contributed to my struggles with the pacing of the book in the first half of the book.

Ultimately, I did find this book to be a good conclusion to the duology and a solid read on its own. I don’t think it quite lived up to the high of the first book, but it definitely didn’t detract from that in any way. And it did resolve and nicely tie up the loose heads left hanging from that book. Also, I still love the romance between Rora and Wes, and the payoff there was well worth the wait. Fans of the first book should definitely check out this conclusion!

Rating 8: The pacing stumbled a bit and Rora’s own character lacked a direct arch, but I enjoyed Helos’s story a lot more than I expected and the romance was still on point!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wildbound” can be found on this Goodreads list: YA Novels of 2022

Serena’s Review: “The Wonder Engine”

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Book: “The Wonder Engine” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Argyll Productions, March 2018

Where Did I Get this Book: from the library!

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

Book Description: Pull three people out of prison–a disgraced paladin, a convicted forger, and a heartless assassin. Give them weapons, carnivorous tattoos, and each other. Point them at the enemy.

What could possibly go wrong?

In the sequel to CLOCKWORK BOYS, Slate, Brenner, Caliban and Learned Edmund have arrived in Anuket City, the source of the mysterious Clockwork Boys. But the secrets they’re keeping could well destroy them, before the city even gets the chance…

Previously Reviewed: “Clockwork Boys”

Review: So, I actually read these books pretty much back to back. But, due to blog scheduling and wanting to get more timely releases out during the month they were published, here we are about a few months later with this review. Before getting into anything else, I will say that I recommend all readers of this duology to read the books this way, one after another. They’re both short and, all things considered, they read better as a longer, single story than as two separate works.

The journey to Anuket City was fraught with peril. Frankly, Slate didn’t think she and her band of criminals were even going to make it. Which was part of the reason she agreed to go. But now they’ve arrived, Slate must not only deal with the ruthless crime boss who’s out for her head, but she and the others still must discover the source of the powerful Clockwork Boys. On top of all of this, Slate isn’t quite sure what to do with her increasing feelings for the proud and proper paladin, Caliban.

Given that I already stated that I think these two books should be read as one, and the fact that I rated the first book fairly high, it’s probably no surprise that I enjoyed this second book. After some of the events of the first book (and, honestly, the title itself??), I felt like the mystery to the creation of the Clockwork Boys was pretty obvious, however. There were a few other surprises along the way, but I feel like the astute reader will be able to predict most of them. The way they all worked together, however, I thought was interesting. Most of these reveals also drove character growth in our two main characters, so I think they were largely successful.

The reveal regarding Slate’s history with the city was, perhaps, a bit underwhelming as a hole. But again, when her past caught up to her, there were a good number of exciting action sequences, as well as some self-reflection on her part. When the duology began, Slate was very cavalier with her own life, seeming resigned, almost eager, for her own death. Here, she not only has to come to terms with the fact that she does want to live, but that she may need to change the way she has been living as well (though not so much as to give up forgery!).

For his part, Caliban has been dealing with a crisis of faith, a loss of belief in not only himself but the emptiness in his being where his god has resided. But during their time in Anuket City, Caliban begins to once again find the value in himself and the unique abilities that he still brings to the world. At times, these are cruel, harsh choices. So his worth is not only in being able to commit challenging acts but in shouldering the weight of decisions other may have crumpled beneath.

I also really liked the romance that develops between Slate and Caliban. They are both adults with full lives behind them. This means they bring their own baggage to any potential relationship. But it also means they have to learn to bend again, to understand what compromises they are willing to make to slot their own lives in alongside another.

This was a really fun book (both this and the first one). It was action-packed and read so quickly! I finished this second book up in two sessions, and probably could have done one, but for the pesky children in my house. Fans of T. Kingfisher’s work will definitely enjoy this. And anyone looking for a fun, light fantasy read should check this out!

Rating 8: Some of the twists were a bit too easy to predict, but the fun and heart of the story make it well worth the read!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Wonder Engine” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Speculative Fiction Heist/Caper Stories and Indie Authors Everybody Should Read.

Serena’s Review: “Fevered Star”

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Book: “Fevered Star” by Rebecca Roanhorse

Publishing Info: Saga Press, April 2022

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

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

Book Description: The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

And for Serapio and Naranpa, both now living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in the face of destiny rages. How will Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who desire only his power? Is there a future for Naranpa in a transformed Tova without her total destruction?

Previously Reviewed: “Black Sun”

Review: This one came out a few months ago, obviously, so it’s probably a bit surprising it took me this long to get to this. I loved the heck out of “Black Sun,” but I had a good reason for my delay! I listened to the original book as an audiobook with an excellent full cast of readers and I couldn’t bare to give up the opportunity of experiencing this book in the same format. Given the immense waitlist for the library’s audiobook copy, I wasn’t the only one with this plan. So here we are, months after its release, finally getting to this one!

The order of the last several centuries came smashing down in one violence-filled day. Now, gods walk the Earth and powerful forces vie to fill the void in power left after the destruction of Sun Priest and her order. But she has not gone. Instead, Naranpa finds herself filled with a powerful force of light, the dimetric opposition to Serapio’s Crow god and the enforced shadow over the sun. Xiala, adrift in the city, works to find her way back to Serapio after learning he survived what he thought was a suicide mission. But soon she, too, is caught up in forces more powerful than herself, and slowly she begins to understand that her past and future are fast heading towards a calamitous intersection.

So, it’s no surprise that I very much enjoyed this book. True, it did suffer a bit from “second book syndrome,” but we’ll get to that after we go through all the pros. For one thing, it’s always hard to start up a second book in a fantasy series one whole year after reading the first. There’s always a lot to catch up on. But Roanhorse does an excellent job of recapping the events of the first book without resorting to paragraphs of exposition. One way that she does this is by reintroducing the story in the first few chapters from characters who, while present in the first book, were definitely slotted to the second tier. Through their eyes, we see the cataclysmic events that occurred when Serapio called upon the Crow God and destroyed the priesthood.

I will say, that while I enjoyed getting more of an inside look into these other players and their interpretations of what is going on (as well as more and more layers involved in whose plan is really being followed here), I did miss getting to spend as much time with our initial three characters. Of them all, Naranpa definitely has the most storyline in this book. We see her not only have to come to grips with the presence of a godly power within her body, but we see her struggles to redefine her place in the world. The priesthood is gone, and her brother, a leader of the underworld of the city, has plans for her. Her journey is one of self-definition and, eventually, the realization that her vision of the future and the world is what made her unique as the high priestess, and it may be what is needed now.

Sadly, we see very little of Serapio. Mostly, he’s the man who wasn’t meant to live, and now that he finds himself occupying a time past the point of his own imagination, he, too, must redefine his own path. But for both Serapio and Naranpa, they are the avatars of gods with their own plans. So we see the struggle they each must balance between their own sense of duty and the futures they see outside of what their gods may have in mind.

We do get a fair amount from Xiala, which is great since she was my favorite character from the first book. But her story is really where we see the pitfalls of the second book thing coming into play. The biggest flaw of the book is that much of the story is window dressing (excellent and fascinating, but still window dressing) for getting our main character from one point to another point from which book three will surely jump forward. Xiala’s story is literally this: she spends 90% of the book travelling from point A to point B, all of it driven by factors around her and characters making decisions that force her hand. This leaves her in a very passive role, spending much of her time wishing she could reunite with and help Serapio and the rest of the time avoiding her past. Her story does pick up a bit towards the end, and I was pleased to find out more about what exactly happened to Xiala that left her an exile of her own people.

As I mentioned above, the story added a lot of layers of intrigue and shadowy players who have been moving pieces around in the background and only now are coming into the light. Honestly, I’m not sure I was able to fully keep track of it all. But I was having such a blast anyways that I didn’t really mind. This will likely be one of those things that will come down to retrospect: does the third book pull this all together in a way that makes this book more clear in hindsight? Or did I actually miss important things here, which might mean there was a slight lack of clarity here. Either way, I’m fully on board for book two and am very excited to see where our characters go from here. I do hope that Serapio and Xiala can be reunited though. My poor romantic heart was very sad to see zero scenes of them together in this book. Alas. Anyways, fans of the first book will surely be pleased with this one and should definitely check it out if they haven’t already!

Rating 9: While some of the pacing and lack of direct action speaks to “second book syndrome,” there was enough intrigue and character growth to leave this one as a very satisfying and enjoyable read.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Fevered Star” can be found, bizarrely, on this Goodreads lists: What Women Born in the 90’s Have Read in 2022

Serena’s Review: “The Book of Gothel”

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Book: “The Book of Gothel” by Mary McMyne

Publishing Info: Redhook, July 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her medieval village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

Then, Hedda dies, and Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother used to speak of—a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It’s also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that unlocks a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles behind the world Haelewise has always known…

Review: I always love fairytale retellings, so it was pretty much a given that I would get my hands on this book somehow this summer. It also just happened that bookclub had finished up reading “Circe” (which I loved), so when I saw that this was also being compared to that plus “Wicked,” I knew this was going to jump my order of reading for July releases. It’s always so interesting to see what authors manage to dream up for characters who are not only “wicked,” but also only feature very briefly in someone else’s tale. Not only do these bare bones characters need to be fleshed out, but you have to imagine an entire history and world that will weave into a tale that must remain somewhat familiar to readers. It’s a challenge, for sure, but there are also a number of ways to go with it. Let’s dive in!

In medieval Germany, almost anything can get a woman labeled “witch.” So, between her strange fainting spells and her powerful, midwife mother, Haelewise is doomed to a childhood of side-eyes and whispers. When tragedy strikes her small family and what stability she has managed to find for herself is shaken beneath her feet, Haelewise sets off for a fabled tower her mother once spoke of. The mysterious Gothel is a refuge for women who do not fit into the narrow molds offered to them, and there Haelewise’s understanding of herself and the world explode outwards, as powerful forces clash and another strange girl, Rika, carries a secret that could change everything.

There was a lot to like about this retelling! For one thing, “Rapunzel” seems like a fresh beat in the fairytale retellings subgenre, so it immediately felt new and interesting. However, that’s not enough to make a story great. Right off the bat, it was clear the author had done her research into medieval Germany. The society, language, and culture all felt spot-on. Obviously, there was a good amount of magic, especially in the final bit of the book, but without that, it would have been easy to confuse oneself into thinking this was a historical fiction novel instead of fantasy at all. We even had a notable historical figure make an appearance, which I absolutely loved. Part of me wishes we had seen more of them, but then again, it wasn’t their story so we wouldn’t want them to steal the show.

Haelewise’s story feels achingly familiar to what we can imagine life for a strange woman in this time period would be. Her fainting fits would likely have an easily understandable medical diagnosis in our time, and it would barely affect her life. But in this time, even such a little thing as this is enough to get her marked as strange and make others leery of her. I really liked the way her character is worked into the classic fairytale, and even how “Rapunzel” herself has a tale that twists out in a unique way, though still familiar enough to be recognizable.

The book plays out over the entirety of Haelewise’s life, so we do get to see a decent amount of her childhood and youth, alongside her years as an adult. While I liked this in general, I did feel that the balance of the romance was slightly off. We got to see Haelewise and Matthuas a lot when they are younger, but the I didn’t feel like we got to see enough of them together as adults. Yes, the romance is definitely not the heart of the story, but for me, I can always do with a dash more!

Overall, I really liked this book. It’s well-researched and a fresh view of a less popular fairytale. Fans of fairytale re-tellings, especially those that focus on women who played only small roles in their original tales (ala “Circe” and “Wicked”) should definitely check this one out! Aldo, don’t forget to enter to win an ARC copy of this book!

Enter to win!

Rating 8: Right up my alley for a fairytale retelling from a “villain’s” perspective!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Book of Gothel” is on this Goodreads list: Debuts in 2022

Giveaway: “The Book of Gothel”

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

Book: “The Book of Gothel” by Mary McMyne

Publishing Info: Redhook, July 2022

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

Book Description: Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda—a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her medieval village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

Then, Hedda dies, and Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother used to speak of—a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It’s also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that unlocks a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles behind the world Haelewise has always known…

Giveaway Details:

I always love fairytale retellings, so it was pretty much a given that I would get my hands on this book somehow this summer. It also just happened that bookclub had finished up reading “Circe” (which I loved), so when I saw that this was also being compared to that plus “Wicked,” I knew this was going to jump my order of reading for July releases. It’s always so interesting to see what authors manage to dream up for characters who are not only “wicked,” but also only feature very briefly in someone else’s tale. Not only do these bare bones characters need to be fleshed out, but you have to imagine an entire history and world that will weave into a tale that must remain somewhat familiar to readers. It’s a challenge, for sure, but there are also a number of ways to go with it. So half the fun is seeing what each author chooses to do. I can’t wait to see where we go with this retelling!

Per the usual, my review for this book will be up Friday. But don’t wait until then to get in on the chance to win a copy of this book! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end on August 2.

Enter to win!

Kate’s Review: “Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend”

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

Book: “Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend” by Alys Arden and Jacquelin De Leon (Ill.)

Publishing Info: DC Comics, July 2022

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

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

Book Description: There’s more to the mobsters, mystics, and mermaids at the last stop on the D/F/Q trains: Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue.

Zatanna’s not your typical New Yorker. She walks her giant rabbit on a leather leash down the boardwalk, lives in a colossal architectural wonder known as the Golden Elephant, had her first kiss in the Haunted Hell Gate ride–and wouldn’t have it any other way.

But the time for having fun in Luna Park comes to an end when a mystic’s quest for a powerful jewel unravels everything Zatanna thought she knew about herself and her beloved neighborhood. Mysteries and magic surround her as she reveals the truth about her family’s legacy, and confronts the illusion that has been cast over her entire life.

From the bewitching mind behind The Casquette Girls, Alys Arden, and with enchanting artwork by Jacquelin de Leon, comes the story of a girl stuck in the middle of a magical rivalry and forced to choose between love, family, and magic without hurting anyone…or worse. 

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

Though I have been fairly into DC for most of my life, I will fully admit that I haven’t encountered too much Zatanna. Sure, she does pop up here and there (I really liked her iteration in the “Bombshells” series), but she just isn’t really a character that I have encountered so much. Which is partially why I decided to pick up “Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend”. It was enticing in a few ways from the jump. For one, I love her design on the cover of his graphic novel: the the hat, the colors, everything. I also liked the concept of her being a Coney Island kid both in the sense of where she lives, but also in the sense of being part of a family of performers. I am always looking for more ladies in DC to enjoy, and “Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend” was a good primer for this character.

I liked Zatanna as a character in this, as she is very much a genial and intrepid teenage girl who loves her friends, loves her family, and loves her boyfriend. While her father Ezra puts pressure on her to join his magic act, which she isn’t really feeling, she has friends who are fortune tellers and other illusionists. She also has a boyfriend named Alexei who happens to be the son of a notoroious Russian mobster, though Alexei seems to be more tenderhearted than his family reputation. When Zatanna starts seeing strange backwards writing, and then starts to experience magic of her own, things get complicated. I liked the build up to this, as I felt that Alys Arden went at a good pace to build up background before really diving in to the story at hand. I liked the atmosphere of Luna City and Coney Island, and I liked seeing Zatanna deal with coming of age issues, be they pretty run of the mill, or more of the magical kind.

I do think that things get a little rushed in the last third. I mentioned above that I liked the background, and I definitely did, but then I felt that there was a rush to get to the heart of the story, with reveals and twists coming quickly. A lot of the time we didn’t get a moment to let some of these twists breathe, with a moment happening in one panel and then being yanked away only a couple panels later. I’m going to be vague because the moments I’m talking about are pretty spoiler heavy. But it made the focus between set up and conflict feel a bit unbalanced. Which is strange, because this is (apparently) a first volume of a continuing series. I don’t really know why the pacing got so disjointed when it could have been potentially spread out into another volume if need be, but hey, that could just be one reviewer’s opinion.

That said, I really liked the design of this book. I loved how Zatanna looked, and I loved the neon-y goodness of the Coney Island night life and the magical and opulent Luna City community.

(source)

I will probably keep going in the series as we have a true mystery at hand, and I did like this characterization of Zatanna. Plus, the artwork is to die for. I’m hoping the pacing can be a bit more balanced in the next volume, but I am intrigued by where Zatanna is going next.

Rating 7: A fun backstory for an underutilized DC heroine, with a lot of set up for future volumes, and a bit of a rushed conclusion.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend” is included on the Goodreads lists “DC Comics Female Creators”, and “Magical Fiction for Magicians”.

Serena’s Review: “The Darkening”

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

Book: “The Darkening” by Sunya Mara

Publishing Info: Clarion Books, July 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: NetGalley!

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

Book Description: In this thrilling and epic YA fantasy debut the only hope for a city trapped in the eye of a cursed storm lies with the daughter of failed revolutionaries and a prince terrified of his throne.

Vesper Vale is the daughter of revolutionaries. Failed revolutionaries. When her mother was caught by the queen’s soldiers, they gave her a choice: death by the hangman’s axe, or death by the Storm that surrounds the city and curses anyone it touches. She chose the Storm. And when the queen’s soldiers—led by a paranoid prince—catch up to Vesper’s father after twelve years on the run, Vesper will do whatever it takes to save him from sharing that fate.

Even arm herself with her father’s book of dangerous experimental magic.

Even infiltrate the prince’s elite squad of soldier-sorcerers.

Even cheat her way into his cold heart.

But when Vesper learns that there’s more to the story of her mother’s death, she’ll have to make a choice if she wants to save her city: trust the devious prince with her family’s secrets, or follow her mother’s footsteps into the Storm.

Review: This was last minute request for me when I was looking around for another July book to fill out my reading list for this month. I’ve been a bit hesitant with YA fantasy for a while, because I feel like more and more I’m struggling to connect to this genre, and I don’t want this blog to just be me repeating myself about something I should be more selective about in the first place. That said, this was a good reminder why I haven’t given up on the genre as a whole since I really enjoyed it!

Living on the very edge of the city, Vesper is constantly aware of the storm at their door, quite literally. The massive storm, full of powerful, raging beasts has slowly been inching inwards for decades, eating the up the remaining land livable for the isolated city. When her revolutionary father’s past catches up with him, Vesper will do anything to save him. As she uncovers more of the threat that is the storm and the powerful magic that is all that holds it back, she realizes that there is more to save than just her father. But to even try means trusting the very people who arrested her father, determined prince and his team of magical warriors.

There was a lot to like about this book, even though much of it will read as very familiar to YA fantasy fans. Mostly, this goes to prove that even well-worn stories and tropes can still come alive if given a solid main character and straight-forward writing. The world itself was very interesting. For one thing, it’s tiny, composed of an ever-shrinking city where, over the decades, rings of neighborhoods have been eaten up by a vicious storm. All that holds the storm back from sweeping through the entire populace is the barely understood magic wielded by the ruler. However, the book explores how even in the midst of an existential crisis that will ultimately be everyone’s problems, people have a persistent ability to not think much about a problem if it’s not affecting them directly.

Our main character, Vesper (YA name alert!), lives on the outer ring where poverty and the ever-present threat of the storm is a very real hazard. Not only that, she comes from a family who were failed revolutionaries, leaving her and her father as wanted criminals. When her father is captured and Vesper travels to the inner ring of the city to save him, she is confronted with the harsh reality of just how out of touch the inner rings are. However, when she meets the prince, she must also confront the idea that in a world such as this, with a threat as large as the storm, sacrifice for the good of all at the expense of some is a very harsh, but very necessary, truth. It was nice to see Vesper have to adjust her own opinions of the world and how the storm is being fought; all too often, heroines such as this end up feeling like sparkly star people who, just by the nature of the story, are the all righteous beginning and ending. And while she brings to attention the plight of the poor, it’s nice to see that she, too, by the nature of her limited world, does not have a full picture of everything going on.

The romance itself was fine. I liked the interactions we had between Vesper and the prince, and the story took a definite turn in the final quarter that I hadn’t seen coming, so that was refreshing. However, I was glad of the other supporting characters who all formed their own unique relationships with Vesper, each helping her fully realize herself and her goals in different ways.

As I said, while there was a lot to like here, YA fantasy fans may find much of it familiar. For example, some of the reveals about the history of the world and the storm were fairly easy to predict (if not in all the details). The romance, too, felt like something I’ve read before, with both Vesper and the prince filling fairly familiar roles. That said, the writing was solid and I read this book quite quickly in only a few sit-downs. It’s always nice to see that there is new YA fantasy coming out that, while familiar, can still draw me in to appreciating the genre. YA fantasy fans should definitely check this one out; mileage may vary depending on how familiar one is with these tropes and themes.

Rating 8: Familiar but in a good way, exploring interesting themes of responsibility, self, and the fight for the betterment of people, both on the macro and micro level.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Darkening” isn’t on any Goodreads lists yet but it should be on “Weather Magic.”

Serena’s Review: “Relic and Ruin”

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Book: “Relic and Ruin” by Wendii McIver

Publishing Info: Wattpad Books, June 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: The Banshee and the Wraith. They have the power to save the world―or destroy it.

In a place unlike any other, two brothers set off an ancient, epic, and never-ending battle. This world is controlled by the Necromancers and Reapers―one side pulls people back up through the earth, and the other cuts them down again. One ancient family, the Laheys, have been tasked again and again with keeping the balance between the worlds. And Nyx Lahey, born a Necromancer, but raised a Reaper, is on the front lines. Lately, though, Nyx is wrestling with her identity as she’s thrown into an adventure filled with prophecies and the kind of danger you can cut down with a giant scythe.

While chasing a creature that’s killing young girls, Nyx runs headlong―and gun drawn―into Erebus Salem. A hunter who has the ability to turn into a raven to escape danger, Erebus also harbors a secret: he’s not alive. He lives in Dewmort, a world in-between, where the souls of the dead reside, and where memory is all but erased. With no memory of who he is, his only connection to the past is a locket which ends up in Nyx’s hands. Determined to get it back, Erebus and his friends set watch on the Laheys, but they aren’t the only ones.

Other beings are lurking in the shadows. They know the truth about Erebus and Nyx. They know that the pair are the Relics, the only two powerful beings in the world capable of taking down the greatest evils known to any kind. Soon, Nyx and Erebus become the hunted, and must try and escape the evil plans of the war lord, Bellum.

Bellum wants the Relics for his own purposes. He needs them to raise his father, the original Necromancer, Neco. With his father by his side, Bellum believes he can rule the world―all of them―and destroy the Reapers once and for all.

Can Nyx and Erebus master their new found powers, and even if they do, can they survive?

Review: So, this was a bit of an impulse request on my part. On one hand, the idea of two groups, Reapers and Necromancers, battling across the centuries is very interesting. On the other hand, the main character’s name is Nyx… Which sounds much too close to the specific type of YA leading lady that I don’t enjoy. Yes, I will stereotype based only on a name! But never say that I am ruled by those stereotypes, since here I am reading and reviewing this book.

Though born a Necromancer, Nyx and her family has a long history of working with the Reapers to contain the undead horrors the Necromancers bring into the world. On what seems like a routine job, Nyx stumbles across the gruesome murder of a young girl and what looks like the beginning of the spree of a madman. At the same time, she runs across Erebus, a young man with more mysteries than she can imagine. But what seems as random chance becomes much more when the two discover they are what is known as Relics, powerful magical beings.

I’m always happy to be proven wrong in my more shallow initial assessments. However, I can’t say that this is one of those times. Indeed, this book mostly lived up to almost every YA stereotype I associate with the type of teen fantasy story that features a main character named “Nyx.” But, while I didn’t enjoy this book, there are some bare bones here that I want to praise, since there will definitely be readers who can enjoy this book.

First off, I still think the concept of the Reapers and Necromancers is an interesting starting platform. The book starts out really well, in fact, with a history of the two brothers whose fight lead to this ages-old war. The plot and writing is also quick and fast-paced so readers who do find themselves getting sucked in will likely breeze through this book quickly. It also is a dark (ish) YA fantasy, which will surely appeal to YA fantasy readers who are tired of dragons and swords.

One of my first problems with the book, however, is that while the initial fantasy concept and world-building is interesting, there’s never enough information given to make it actually understandable to the reader. Unless you are caught up in the fast pace of the story, when you stop to actually think about what’s going on, all you find are more questions. There are such a thing as “in-betweeners” mentioned early in the book. But I could never really figure out what these were or how they they fit in with all the various creatures that we run into along the way. In this way, the fast pace of the story began to make the book feel rushed and unclear more than anything else.

I also couldn’t get on board with our main characters. Nyx comes from a ginormous family, all of who have various different abilities which are listed off for the reader in an exhausting fashion. But with this large cast of characters, it was hard to latch on to any actual arch on Nyx’s part. And then Erebus falls into that increasingly unappealing zone (for me at least) of the love interest who is centuries old but still falls in a love with a teenager. Obviously this is completely subjective, but I find myself way less annoyed by the age difference trope in romances if the centuries-old being is at least falling in love with a full adult. I just can’t buy it, otherwise. Not to say that Erebus doesn’t seem like a teenager himself, but that’s its own problem (or just problem for me, since seeming like a teenager is probably, largely, a win for a YA book!). So, because of this, I struggled to become invested in either of them individually or the romance in general.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the first few chapters, but once the story actually settled into what it was going to be about, I found myself getting bored and skimming ahead. I’m sure some YA fantasy readers will enjoy this, but it might be more of a struggle for adult readers of YA fantasy.

Rating 6: Some clumsy world-building and flat main characters made this book a bit of a chore for me.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Relic and Ruin” isn’t on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Indie YA Paranormal Romance.

Serena’s Review: “Ten Thousand Stitches”

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Book: “Ten Thousand Stitches” by Olivia Atwater

Publishing Info: Orbit, July 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There’s only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke’s heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.

Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days – and ten thousand stitches – to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn’t wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie’s greatest obstacle might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn’s overwhelmingly good intentions.

Previously Reviewed: “Half a Soul”

Review: I really enjoyed “Half a Soul.” I think I read it in maybe two sittings? That made it all the sweeter being able to look ahead to the summer and see two more books of the same style by Atwater coming down the pike. Frankly, it was very difficult to even wait until now to read the second book! Of course, given the highs of the first book, there was a lingering question whether this book could live up to that first outing!

As a housemaid, Effie has resigned herself to a life of invisibility, only noticeable to the very few for her fine embroidery work. But one day, a young man of nobility smiles at her, and she’s lost. As luck would have it, she shortly thereafter runs into a faerie with mission: Lord Blackthorn wants to go forth and do good in the world. However, being a faerie, he’s still restricted to bargain -making and so he offers to help Effie marry her lord if she completes a stitching project for him, one stitch for every minute spent on her lord-marrying plot. Things are going along well (or as well as they can with a bumbling faerie who really doesn’t understand the first thing about humans), but soon enough Effie begins to question whether she’s really after the right man.

So far, we’re two for two! While I think I liked the first book a shade better than this one, it’s such a small distinction that it’s barely worth noting. I’ll get to that reason in a bit. But first, there are many things to praise about this book! For one thing, the author’s blend of fantasy, comedy, and class commentary is still excellent. I loved getting to explore more about the faeries of her world and the land of Faerie itself. We also got to see some familiar faces here, which was excellent. I don’t want to spoil it, but there was a character in the second book who only popped up in the final quarter but stole the show the moment they did. And they were back here in all of their glory!

And, again, the author has done an excellent job of using her magical elements to highlight and explore the injustices present in British society during this time period. The first book explored it from the view of nobility being forced to confront the underbelly of their glittering world. But this book focuses on Effie, a servant, and the constant anger and powerlessness she feels in the face of poor working standards and a lack of bargaining power. Through her experiences, we see how much of a servant’s life is dependent on the chance goodwill of the masters of the house. And in the face of a bad home owner, she sees practically no recourse for improvement. Even leaving the situation is impossible if you can’t get a good letter of recommendation. I also liked how the magical elements weren’t a simple wand-wave to make the conditions better. I won’t spoil how it all worked, but, again, it was a perfect marriage of fantasy alongside very real world dilemmas and solutions.

As someone who embroiders quite a lot myself, I always enjoy fantasy stories that focus on the magic of stitching and sewing. Again, no spoilers, but I was really surprised with the way that Effie’s sewing came into the story. From the description, I thought we were heading down much more of a “Rumpelstiltskin” path with an impossible task, but that really wasn’t the case.

I also really liked Effie and Lord Blackthorn. Effie’s anger and determination were both excellent, however foolish she may have been with falling in “love” with the first nobleman to smile at her. She endures through much, and slowly begins to learn more about herself and the role she wants to play in the world going forward. Lord Blackthorn was everything that is endearing, being a very good-hearted faerie but very ignorant of basic human facts. Their relationship was charismatic and adorable, especially the moments where we begin to see the tingling feelings of suspicion that they may each be barking up the wrong tree in their original arrangement.

However, my one qualm did come down to the romance. While overall I really loved it, it’s a hard balance to have your romantic hero also play the main comedy role. It was just a tough part to fit, with some of his bumbling playing for great laughs and “ah shucks” moments, but then those same aspects of his personality directly conflicted with the more typical romantic hero vibes you may be expecting. However, that’s not to say that all romantic interests must be the same. It was more that some of the more childish aspects of his faerie self played at conflict with the adult romance he was also supposed to be within. But, like I said, I still very much enjoyed this part of the book too, so it definitely wasn’t a deal breaker, just the reason I prefer the first book to this one.

All in all, this was a great second outing! Atwater has a strong writing voice and it meshes perfectly with her light-hearted, but important-issues-focused stories. I’m very excited to check out her third book this August!

Rating 8: While comic relief and romantic hero may be a hard combo, this story was just as sweet and fun as the first book!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Ten Thousand Stitches” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Stitchwitchery

Book Club Review: “Circe”

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

Book: “Circe” by Madeline Miller

Publishing Info: Little Brown and Company, April 2018

Where Did We Get This Book: The library!

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

Book Bingo Prompt: a book with a map

Book Description: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child – not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Kate’s Thoughts

I was obsessed with Greek Mythology as a kid, so much so that I would be constantly checking out books of that topic from the library, or taking little extracurricular classes on the subject in my grade school (these classes were called ‘Minis’ and we could sign up for just about any topic). In high school I took a class on Greek mythology, and one of the books we read was “The Odyssey”, the well known tale of Odysseus trying to make his way home after the Trojan War. I didn’t REALLY care for the book, but I did love the time he spent on Aeaea with Circe, the witch who turns his men into pigs. When Serena picked “Circe” for book club I was happy for two reasons. The first is that I love Madeline Miller’s book “The Song of Achilles”. The second is that “Circe” had been sitting on my shelf ever since it first came out and this was the kick to the pants I needed to pick it up.

Much like “Song of Achilles”, Miller takes a well known Greek myth and character and delves into a backstory that fits the greater mythology while exploring more modern themes and notions. In this we get the backstory of Circe the witch, from her time as the child of a Titan and a nymph to her banishment to her desert island to her time with Odysseus and beyond, while also exploring her womanhood, her isolation, her thought process, and her traumas. We see her role in other parts of Greek Mythology, sometimes being a passive player and other times being very active, and so in turn see new perspectives on some of these stories. Who could make the Minotaur pitiful, or Medea a little more complicated, or Odysseus less heroic? Madeline Miller can, and it works perfectly through the eyes of Circe as she weathers her own storms and learns her own lessons.

You need not be a fan of Greek Mythology to pick up “Circe”, as the themes are broad and relatable as a woman who has been disenfranchised has to stake a claim to her ability to live her life and keep herself and her loved ones safe. It’s resonant and powerful and I really enjoyed it.

Serena’s Thoughts

I’ve had “Circe” sitting on my TBR pile for quite a while also. That said, I also have “Song of Achilles” right there next to it. While I’ve heard great things, I’m just not up for all the tears! So it was an easy pick to just skip ahead to “Circe,” a tale that, while tragic at times, didn’t come with a foregone, ball bawl-worthy conclusion.

I can echo everything Kate said. I, too, very much enjoyed Greek mythology as a kid and teen. I didn’t have the same resources for taking classes on the subject, but I definitely gobbled up everything I could. Even with that being the case however, I haven’t re-familiarized myself with the pantheon or myths for quite some time, so reading this book, I can speak to the fact that it’s still approachable for those with less (or older) knowledge of the original stories. For one thing, I didn’t remember just how entwined some of these stories became. It was truly impressive how many various different myths, gods, heroes, and monsters the author was able to weave Circe’s story through and around.

Circe’s story was also very much one of power, especially the unique power of being a woman. It was an all inclusive exploration, not looking away from the restrictions placed on women with power but also acknowledging the specific destructive tendencies that some powerful women can turn to in a world that would limit their options. Circe’s own experience with her magic progress over literally centuries. And we see several examples of other powerful women working with their own forms of power and existence, both to good and bad outcomes. I also really liked the versions of womanhood we see through Circe’s life. We see a daughter, a sister, a lover, a mother, a friend. All tied within her own ongoing story of self-acceptance and growth.

I really liked this book. I think it’s the kind of story that has a lot of great cross-over appeal, likely to please fans from almost all genres.

Kate’s Rating 9 : A truly marvelous exploration of a notorious character of Greek Mythology, “Circe” gives the Witch of Aeaea a compelling backstory and some well done connections to other myths while taking on themes of womanhood, power, and resilience.

Serena’s Rating 10: Simply brilliant, a powerful re-imagination of a powerful female character who has existed largely on the sidelines of mythology.

Book Club Questions

  1. How familiar were you with the Greek myths that are touched on in this story? Particularly “The Odyssey” itself?
  2. Circe and her siblings all take very different paths in life. In what ways did their upbringings make them similar and in what ways did they differ? Why do you think they each chose the paths they did?
  3. This book has many themes revolving around women and power. What aspects of this theme stood out to you? How did Circe’s attitude towards her own power shift throughout the book?
  4. Circe come from a dysfunctional family. In what ways do we see this impact her choices when raising her son? Does she fall into any of the same traps? How do her choices compare to those she was raised with?
  5. What did you think of the portrayal of the various gods and titans we see in this story? Did they align with what you knew of these mythical beings from before? In what ways did they surprise you?

Reader’s Advisory

“Circe” is on these Goodreads lists: Best Books About Mythology and Awesome Women of the Ancient World.