REVIEW: An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

An Education in Malice is a modern, sapphic retelling of Carmilla, the 1872 Gothic vampire novella by Sheridan Le Fanu that predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years. It is a full-length novel (352 pages) that takes place at a university in Western Massachusetts. Being a Massachusetts native for the first 40 years of my life, before moving to California to escape the horrid winters, I appreciated the setting. :)

Being brought into a present-day setting and context worked very well for this novel. The relationship between Laura and Carmilla was intense and fraught with tension which made for a great story. And like the previous book, the writing was very descriptive, creating the perfect atmosphere that pulled you right into the narrative. I loved the emotional growth of Laura's character, while simultaneously breaking down Carmilla's walls and seeing her softer, more vulnerable side.

Unfortunately, I never read the original book, but OMG that cliffhanger at the end!! Did Laura drink the "Kool-aid" or what? ;)

This book releases February 13, 2024, but you can preorder it at Amazon, or enter for a chance to win one of 100 Kindle copies at Goodreads (giveaway ends 12/29/23).

Thanks to NetGalley and Redhook/Orbit Books for providing me with a digital advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#AnEducationinMalice #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

My Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

The tale of the three brides of Dracula... as told by his first wife Constanta.

It's during the 15th century when he first approaches her on a battlefield. Left for dead, the dark stranger offers her eternal life by his side. They spend several centuries traveling the globe... happy and blissful for a while until the magic eventually wears off. Eventually, two more are drawn into their little family. But as jealousy and obsession turns to overbearing cruelty, the three consorts seek solace in each another in an attempt to put an end to their suffocating confinement and end regain their freedom.

The book is written in the second person epistolary format, with Constanta addressing her words to her vampire master, a full account of their life together. I found this was a threw me off at times as I'm not really used to reading fiction in the second person, especially when the YOU refers to a third person and not yourself as the reader. Dracula's name was not mentioned at all throughout the novel as Constanta decided to strip him of his name, and thus strip him of his power, so the reader is left to intuit whom Constanta is addressing. If you didn't read the description, you might assume it's just some random vamp.

The story was interesting though admittedly not a favorite. Throughout the tale, Constanta recollects the events of her lifetime beginning with when she first met and was turned by him, up until his fatal end and beyond. We also meet Magdalena and Alexi, an aristocrat and an artist respectively, who are later invited to join their family and are sired by Dracula, all of which greatly affects the dynamics of the group. She claims that she needs to put this account in writing in order to convince herself that all of it really happened. While the writing itself was poetic and emotional, there wasn't really a plot, which is why I think it didn't really hook me.

I'll be reading the ARC of An Education in Malice next, (pub date Feb 2024 - pre-order on Amazon here) so I wanted to read this first. Even though it's not a direct sequel, it looks like at least one of the characters from this book, Magdalena, makes an appearance as a minor character there.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Knight

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

A magical story reminiscent of Harry Potter.

Ivy Lovely is a scaldrony maid living a dull and tedious existence among the slurry fields of Castle Plum. Hidden away as a baby in the most unmagical of places, Ivy believes herself to be an orphan, knowing nothing of her former life. Until the day a large, flying creature unexpectedly shows up to transport her from her life of drudgery to an incredible magical school, and she discovers not only her magical bloodline, but a whole fantasy world she had only dreamed of. Except now that she's no longer hidden behind all that magic-dampening slurry, the spells that had previously kept her hidden have begun to unravel. Will Ivy be able to crush the curse before it crushes her and all she holds dear?

This was an enchanting read, reminiscent of Harry Potter with its magical school, and quite suitable for both young readers and adults alike. However, that's where the story similarities end. The Crowns of Croswald contains it's own unique story quite distinct from Harry or similar books. Ivy is a kickass MC—spunky, inquisitive, and full of adventure. Her escapades captivated me and took me places beyond my imagination. The world building was phenomenal with a richly drawn world and fun, lovable characters. So well written, it's hard to believe this was D.E. Knight's first book. I'm very much looking forward to reading the remaining books in this 4 part series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stories Untold Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#TheCrownsOfCroswald #NetGalley @author.denight

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

An eerie and atmospheric gothic horror, complete with haunted house, séances, and ghosts! What more could a girl ask for?

After her bipolar diagnosis and suicide attempt (potential trigger warning), Libby and her family move into her mother's ancestral home attempting a fresh start. At first glance, the house appears to be hella creepy—decades of decay, an overabundance of creepy crawlies, and freaky stained glass windows depicting various insects and other unsettling scenes. Soon enough, Libby uncovers disturbing news about the house's sinister past including masked séances and strange disappearances, and begins to suspect the the answer to unlocking the truth lies in the strange insect masks attached to several of the windows.

"We all wear masks—to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself—and everyone she loves."

As you read, you come to realize just how multi-layered the above quote really is. Like the metaphorical masks worn by people like Libby to hide what's they're feeling inside, but also referring to the disturbing insect masks which not only house a spirit of their own, but also endow the wearer with supernatural abilities attributed to that particular insect.

This book was amazing! Hard to put down and kept me on the edge of my seat. I fell in love with the characters—they were so real and yet so broken. Libby's bipolar disorder was treated with respect and compassion, and it really added a whole other dimension to the story, as opposed to just being there for the sake of diversity. The character and world building was phenomenal as well, the tension slowly simmering throughout until everything really came to a boil at the final séance. I'm very much looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

A Place for Vanishing will be published on January 14, 2024, but you can preorder it at Amazon now.

Many thanks to Random House/Delacorte Press for providing me with a digital advance reader copy for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

#APlaceforVanishing #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3) by Victoria Schwab

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

The final book in the Cassidy Blake trilogy is both thrilling and soul-stirring. This time the family has arrived in New Orleans (a favorite locale of mine) and Cassidy has drawn the attention of an Emissary of Death, who wants to balance the scales by taking back what she stole from them (her life). The stakes are high and fraught with danger as Cassidy tries to save not only herself, but those she holds dear. A difficult choice and no right answers.

I'm going to miss these characters now that I've finished the trilogy. This is only the second series I've read by Schwab, plus one standalone (I remember you Addie!) and every time I'm like, "this is one of the best books I've read!" so kudos to you, Victoria (V.E.) Schwab for always filling my plate, my imagination, and making me fall in love with your characters!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) by Victoria Schwab

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Another fun adventure with Cassidy and Jacob. This time they're off to Paris, and now the graveyards are underground—the Catacombs! How creepy!! While there, Cassidy and Jacob accidentally awake a poltergeist, who can easily cross over the Veil to the land of the living. Mischief, Menace, and Mayhem reign as this poltergeist has been unleashed in Paris causing all sorts of destruction. And Cassidy will do everything in her power to send him on to his forever resting place... if she can!

Like the previous book in this series, this was a fun, fast read, lively and entertaining. Cassidy continues to be both a source of amusement and a very likeable, endearing character. Jacob is the perfect counterbalance to her impulsiveness, persuading her to think and plan before jumping in. Together they make a great team! We learn a bit more about Jacob's back story here as well, and as his hold in the real world is gradually getting stronger, I'm left to wonder where this will lead him in Bridge of Souls, which I'm sooo looking forward to reading next!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

A fun, quick young adult read with ghosts!

Cassidy Blake can see ghosts! Not only is her best friend corporeally challenged (his preferred term), but since her near-death experience, she can also freely cross to and from the Veil, the in-between where lingering spirits reside. Considering her parents are ghost-hunting paranormal investigators with a new reality TV show though, that's not really all that unusual. When the family travels to Edinburgh, Scotland for the filming of the first episode, Cassidy and BFF Jacob are faced with a host of ghostly spirits, creepy locations, and the mysterious, menacing Raven in Red. With guidance from her new ghost-hunting friend Lara, along with Jacob's unenthusiastic support, Cassidy must do everything she can to stave off the Raven and avoid being swallowed the the Veil forever.

Cassidy was certainly a lively and fun character, always getting into mischief, as was Jacob. Her hands-on learning with how to deal with ghosts was hilarious! Victoria (V.E.) Schwab is a fantastic writer, and her extraordinary character development and world building really shines here. While this is a middle grade series (thus written under Victoria instead of V.E.), it was just as entertaining and fanciful as her adult (and YA) books, albeit a much faster read.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Eleventh Hour by Aminah Fox

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Harry Potter meets the Sopranos! Hampshire, a magical borough in upstate New York, home to several noble families, and invisible to mundanes, aka non-magical people. A long-brewing war between the families has reached its pinnacle and courted death and destruction in it's wake. In a last ditch attempt to save her father and restore order, Hermione Mandrake and her half-brother Christian take up their grandfather's time trinket, with a plan to steal away into the past in order to redirect the future. But with enemies still on their tail, can they truly turn back the hands of time?

When I first began reading, I had difficulty staying engaged. The characters, even the MC, felt a bit flat and one dimensional. And I had a hard time keeping all the different families straight, not to mention all the children (and bastards) Alfred Mandrake fathered. Fortunately, the latter was rectified by a family tree of sorts at the back of the book, and I eventually came to realize that it wasn't as important to remember ALL the families, just a few key ones, which began to stick with me after a little while. By about the 30% mark, I was sold and began to enjoy the ride. The story itself was unique and magical, and if you like the thought of magical mafia-like families, waging war with wands and on dragon-back, then you should really enjoy this.

I did feel a few inconsistencies with the MC Hermione however. For example, supposedly she was no good at charms, yet she bested several magicians trying to abduct her, often taking on 2 or 3 at a time, after just a week or so of training. I also never really warmed up to her that much. It was hard to grasp what she was really all about. The only real feel I got from her was her devotion to her father and her family, but she felt a bit shallow beyond that. Fortunately, once they traveled into the past and the action picked up, I forgot about some of those things and became invested in how everything played out.

Thank you to NetGalley and 22nd Light LLC for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#TheEleventhHour #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★

The year is 1714 in France, and a desperate 23 year old Addie LaRue makes a deal with the darkness—a dark god, the devil, what have you—and in exchange for her complete freedom, she's also cursed to become utterly forgettable to everyone she meets. Unable to leave any kind of mark or the the world, or make any impression on anything or anyone she meets... she can't even say her own name! For 300 years she lives like this, ghosting through time, witnessing war, famine, and miracles all. Until the day she meets Henry and everything changes!

Wow, this is definitely one of the best books I've read this year! So much so, I didn't want it to end! But then again, it wrapped up so nicely (even if the ending did make me cry) that I wouldn't want to ruin it... but hmmm can you imagine what Addie might become if she were ever able to best Luc? That could be a righteous story right there! Anyhoo, this story was soooo unique, and soooo engaging, I simply couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the art descriptions and pictures at the beginning of each section, each related to a "spark" or idea Addie implanted to take root where memory couldn't. The writing was captivating and engaging, and Addie's story ran the gambit from happy to sad to even heartbreaking. I exhausted all of my emotions reading this book and was sad when it ended.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Rabbits: From Hares and Jackrabbits to Adorable Pets by Tom Jackson

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

As a bunny mama to 4 adorable rescue house rabbits, I simply HAD TO read this book. Rather than a handbook on keeping house rabbits—I'd recommend The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman for that (or direct from Drollery Press here)—this delectable delight is chock full of large, full-color pictures and information on rabbit origins, various breeds, behavior, particularly in the wild, and other fun facts. Yes, even this long-time bunny mama and foster learned a thing or two about rabbit history, as well as the relationship between domesticated rabbits and their wild brethren.

With all the gorgeous pictures contained within, the hardcover edition (once released) would make a fantastic coffee table book, especially for bunny peeps like me. I also really appreciated that the author included pounds in addition to kilograms when talking about weight. As an American, I still have a hard time relating to kilograms, or doing the conversion in my head. :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amber Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book for review.

#Rabbits #AmberBooks #NetGalley

View & pre-order at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Dark Roux by Blaine Daigle

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

A Dark Roux is a creepy, atmospheric gothic ghost story with a slow simmer. The action builds slowly but steadily as Rhiannon LeBeau and her brother Rhett revisit their family home in the Louisana bayou after the death of their mother. Plagued by chillingly realistic nightmares, Rhiannon can feel that things just aren't right back in the bayou, and as her memories of past horrors resurface and the ghosts and monsters come out to play, she realizes the sacrifices she must make to save her brother.

Setting a macabre tone that permeates throughout the story, the prose is dripping with ominous and eerie emotion. The author's language and word choice is perfect for setting the mood and scene of the bayou, and really triggers the imagination, allowing the reader to fully place themselves in the story. A slow burn but a real creeper... I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#ADarkRouxANovel #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding, #1) by Freya Marske

My Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

It's England 1908 and young baronet Robin Blyth has just found himself appointed to a position in the Office of Special Domestic Affairs and Complaints, a job for which he's severely under-qualified. He didn't even know magic existed before today when now he's expected to "manage" it as well. Hmm... as if that wasn't bad wasn't enough, he's also just been inflicted with a curse by a group of mysterious men with fog for faces. Apparently they're looking for something they were unable to retrieve from his missing predecessor. Hopefully his new "special liaison" Edwin Courcey can help him make heads and tails out of all this!

A magical quest, a bit of mystery, and a touch more spice than I usually care for in my fantasy reads. That said, I still found the story engaging enough, and the character building of both Robin and Edwin was like slowly unwrapping layers. While I didn't expect all the steamy sex scenes as I'm generally not a big fan of the romance or erotica genre, at least it felt as if it was adding to the story—each of them opening up a bit more and shedding additional light on their character with each encounter—as opposed to just being there as a prop for sexy's sake.

Unfortunately, most of the other characters outside of Robin and Edwin fell a little flat. Hopefully, they'll be fleshed out more fully in later books, especially the Morrissey sisters and Robin's sister Maud.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Witchwood Manor is definitely more than it appears. For starters, it's inhabited by faeries in addition to humans. Winifred Hall comes to Witchwood Manor to be governess to the young Master Robert Murray, heir to Longfell, and to protect him from their otherworldly inhabitants. But Winifred holds secrets of her own, ones she must give up if she wishes to find the answers she seeks.

This is the first book I've read by Olivia Atwater and it definitely won't be my last! The world of Faerie portrayed here is dark and chilling; perfect for the spooky season over which I read it.

Before I even opened it, I have to say that the book cover is simply gorgeous. As an avid fan of the gothic, spooky, and anything to do with the Victorian era, it definitely called to me! The story telling was frightfully atmospheric and imaginative, while the characters were mysterious enigmatic. It was like peeling back the layers as I read.

While the main characters are different from those in her Regency Faerie Tales series, the world is the same. And while I didn't feel it was required to read those first, for those of you that did, the additional detail provided may have given you a bit more context on some of the characters mentioned here, along with more a more fully-fleshed background on the world itself. Am I going to go back and read the Regency series now? Most definitely! But not because I feel it necessary, only because I was deeply engrossed and taken in by this world and want to read more while I wait for the follow-up to The Witchwood Knot to be released.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#TheWitchwoodKnot #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Witchfinder's Serpent by Rande Goodwin

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

After the death of their father, Nate and his younger brother Marc leave New York City to live with their mysterious aunt in Windsor, CT. Her one rule: under no circumstances are they to enter the locked room on the second floor. Of course, teens being teens, their curiosity gets the better of them and they eventually explore the room, uncovering some pretty creepy stuff, including a serpent bracelet cuff that's magically attached itself to Nate's wrist and refuses to be dislodged. But what else they've unleashed is even creepier, the stuff of nightmares!

The Witchfinder's Serpent is a modern-day young adult fantasy inspired by true historical events. The story spans multiple timelines—the present (2019) and the past (1647), during the time of the earliest Puritan settlers in New England and America's first Witch hanging. I liked that the past timeline directly related to what was happening in the present day, and unlike other books' flashbacks, I did not find myself wishing for the chapter to end and return to the present day. The chapters in the past held my interest just as much, if not more so, than the present.

Being a New England-er myself (transplanted to California 13 years ago), I am intimately familiar with the Salem Witch Trials. I also identify as a Witch, drawing energy and practicing magick with the usual Witches tools. So I related well to this book, and even appreciated how the author spelled "magick" with a K, just as modern Witches do, to distinguish it from stage and illusionist magic.

The book started off a bit slowly, allowing time to develop characters and set the scene, but quickly picked up about 20% in when the story got really intriguing. The writing style was not as elegant as some of the more established writers I've read. I would've liked to have seen less "telling" and more "showing" in several places, but such is the hallmark of a new writer, and honestly after the story picked up, I barely noticed it as much. Some parts of the story were also a bit simplistic and quickly explained away... or even not explained at all such as how Alex could have been Hodge's daughter when he was locked in a bottle for centuries? . But seeing as it's young adult, I suspect the author didn't want to get too bogged down in details that could detract his target audience.

Despite those minor criticisms, the story itself was entertaining and captivating, and definitely hard to put down. I found the author to be very respectful towards his subject, conveying the horror of past times when Puritans unjustly accused and prosecuted anyone perceived as different or sensitive. I also appreciated the way Aunt Celia explained the significance of the pentacle and the beliefs of modern-day witches to her two young wards in a light-hearted but factual way—providing young adult readers with an objective basis for the modern Witchcraft movement. While the story wrapped up nicely, it clearly alluded to much more to come! I'll be looking forward to the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#TheWitchfindersSerpent #NetGalley

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

The Demon Tide (The Black Witch Chronicles #4) by Laurie Forest

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

There was a lot to like about this book, along with a few things I didn't care so much for. But taking the good with the bad, I still have to give this a solid 4 stars.

For starters, I'm glad that I read the two books of The Rebel Mage prior. Both Wandfasted and Light Mage provided a great deal of background to some of the characters that were just introduced to Elloren for the first time in this book. While little details of them were sprinkled throughout, experiencing Fain's closeness to Elloren's mother, Tessla, firsthand, the back story of Rivyr'el, or how Sage met and fell in love with Ra'Ven—all of that added a lot more dimension to these characters when they showed up here in The Demon Tide. And even though they weren't mentioned by name, I recognized Za'ya, Zeymir, and little Na'bee (minor characters from Sage's Light Mage story, sitting in Mora'lee's cafe in one scene. Glad to know they are well and made it to the Noi lands. 😀 Or at least as well as can be expected with what's going down...

While the author is fantastic at detailed world building and character development (with the exception of Elloren's character in this book), I felt that a lot of this book dragged on where it should've been a bit faster paced. The events of Xishlon eve for example, I really didn't care about more than half of those love hookups and could've done with a single chapter, especially for the more minor characters. And the jumps from first to third person POV were often confusing as we switched character perspectives. In previous books, I believe only Elloren was in first person, and all other character perspectives were in third. In this book however, we have Elloren, Trystan, and Vothe all using first person. Until 70% through the book when Vothe's chapters start using third person instead. Often times when reading, especially the Trystan/Vothe chapters, I had to keep reminding myself who "I" and "me" referred to. A bit more consistency here would've made for a lot smoother reading.

I had been hoping to finally see Elloren come into her own and embrace her full power in this book, but alas, it's not until the last 25% ish that we really get to see what great evil her power is capable of, and then only when Vogel invades and takes over her mind and body. Towards the very end, she's transformed and finally does come into her own, but we're left to wait for The Dryad Storm to see how all that actually plays out. Please bring back the self-confident, kick-ass Elloren we began to get a glimpse off at the end of book 3.

And while Elloren's allies were desperately focused on trying to untangle her affinity lines, why weren't they the least bit concerned about trying to separate or disrupt Vogel's magic from Elloren's fastlines? She felt it and Lukas even told her as much! Maybe they could've saved themselves a whole lot of trouble down the line if they'd focused their attentions where it truly mattered... instead of attempting to restore her power while Vogel was still able to hook into her.

Now let's address the elephant in the room: the love triangle between Elloren, Lukas, and Yvan. Elloren says she loves them both, yet she can't even touch, let alone kiss, Yvan after she's fasted to Lukas? What's a little kiss between friends anyway? I was really hoping we'd get to explore the polyamory path. It's not like some of the Issaani or the Ishkartaan people don't follow that path anyway, right? And when Elloran, Lukas, and Yvan did that mind meld towards the end, I was like woohoo, maybe it's finally gonna happen!! NOPE!! We have to kill Lukas off instead... leaving Elloren with what seems like her consolation prize of Yvan. 😒

Speaking of Lukas, I was sorely disappointed with how that played out. To have Lukas give his life so that he might save Elloren and kill Vogel, all to no avail. So we basically lost him for naught! Here's hoping that, like Ariel, he's not really dead and returns in the next book. Cuz I'm all about Team Lukas!! Or even Team Lukas, Yvan, and Elloren! 😉

Despite my above grievances, I still have to rate this highly because any book that can draw so many emotions from me—laughter, sadness, screaming, and even hate—definitely gets my vote.

In addition, the parallelism between Erthia and our own world is staggeringly accurate and makes this fantasy world seem even more real. Prejudice and xenophobia only serve to corrupt and fragment our society. And the more fractured and divided people are, the easier it is for hate and bigotry to sneak in, creating even more division and destroying the balance of life. A life lesson everyone should embrace.

"the more that people are divided, the more the Shadow Tool grows in power. It feeds on fracture. And then it destroys the Balance."

"The people of this land were fractured before the Branch gained power. They forgot the truth of the Source Tree at the center of their faiths and worshiped the fractured edges instead. They forgot their tether to the natural world."

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Dawn Study (Study #6) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

This last book in the Study series was a great close to the series that wrapped everything up with a neat little bow! Throughout this series, many of the secondary characters have become favorites, overshadowing even Yelena and Valak in a lot of aspects. But I'm happy to always come back to this power couple, and was very satisfied with their happy ending... and baby makes three!! :)

Despite the loss of her magic, Yelena is still a kick ass character, who won't let anything stand in her way. And now that Sitia has fallen under the thrall of an evil Cartel leader, she and her happy herd will stop at nothing to prevent the war that's brewing between Sitia and Ixia.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Shattered Glass (Glass #3.5) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

A short little detour between Night Study and Dawn Study to visit with Opal. I do like the person she's become—so much more determined and confident, happy and at peace despite not having her magic back.

In this short story, she's called to aid by former Master Magician Zitora, and while the plot doesn't add much to the Chronicles of Ixia series as a whole—and isn't required reading—it not only catches you up with what Opal and Zitora have been up to, but also ends on a bit of cliffhanger. Ending with Zitora returning to the Citadel and Opal returning home to Fulgor to find something very wrong, I can only assume we'll be seeing more of both of them in Dawn Study. Coming up next in my reading queue.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Night Study (Study #5) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

While Yelena is still mourning the loss of her magic, a serious threat has begun to engulf Sitia and Ixia, threatening war between the two countries. As enemies are closing in, Yelena and her friends must do everything in their power to evade disaster and avoid falling prey to enemy hands.

An exciting and action-packed addition to the Study/Chronicles of Ixia series with some major plot twists and developments. And w00t w00t! Valek's now got some pretty powerful magic himself. The underlying intensity throughout this book left a thrill down my spine... and I had a hard time putting it aside to sleep or get anything done. LOL Despite being a "middle child", I thought this was even better than Shadow Study.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Shadow Wand (The Black Witch Chronicles #3) by Laurie Forest

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Wow! Pretty much nonstop danger for Elloren throughout this book—running for her life nearly the entire time! With very few allies, and a whole slew of enemies in both the Western and Eastern military intent or seeing her dead or enslaved, Elloren's life is in extreme peril.

I loved visiting and learning more about the Noi culture who, like the Amaz, are very maternal with a lot of women holding powerful positions. Very unlike the Gardnerians where the women are treated simply as second class citizens and breeding material.

Like the previous books, the writing is very well done and pulls you right into the story with it's descriptive prose... as if you're right there experiencing everything right alongside these characters. Because of this, I often found myself talking back to the characters quite a bit. Things like, "grow a backbone, Elloren!" and similar cracks were some of my most frequent. :)

And when they decided to send Elloren to Lukas in Gardneria for protection, I was like WTF??!! Definitely the Amazakaraan lands would've been a much safer choice. Or if that didn't work out for some reason, there were any number of alternate places they could've stashed her instead of right under Vogel's nose! Here, I almost felt as if she was placed there simply to advance the story line with Lukas. However, I didn't end up minding in the long run because I love me some Lukas... and that we got to learn so much more about his rebellious side. Yup, I'm Team Lukas, baby! :p

I was devastated with how it ended, but then had a massive "you go girl" moment when Elloren finally took the reins, grew a backbone, and fought back! I hope this self-confidence (and self-reliance) sticks because I'm getting fed up with the whiny, I-can't-do-anything version of Elloren we see so much of in this book. LOL

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Iron Flower (The Black Witch Chronicles #2)

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

This was a fun read and a great follow-up to The Black Witch that picks up right where the previous book left off.

The Reaping Times have seeped out of Gardneria and into Verpacia and the University, with Marcus Vogel and the Gardnerian Mage Council imprisoning, killing or slaughtering the "Evil Ones"—anyone who's not allied with them. Which is basically everyone except the Alfsigr Elves and loosely, the Noi and Vu Trin military. To fight back against the injustice running rampant, Elloren and her band of rebel friends have joined the underground Resistance—a larger team currently helping to smuggle the oppressed groups out of the Gardnerian held territories.

And then we've got the love triangle—Elloren fighting against her ever growing feelings for the rebellious (non-Gardnerian) Yvan Guriel, while still entranced by the seductive power of Lucas Grey, who's now commander of the Fourth Division Gardnerian military base. Can she get Lucas to change his stripes, or convince Yvan to get past what the Gardnerians have done to his family?

While the ending seemed like it came on suddenly, it was definitely a Wow WTF moment. I immediately had to start on the next book. Boy, am I glad I didn't read these as soon as they came out for that very reason. Having to wait 2 years between this book and the next would've been murder!!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Light Mage (The Black Witch Chronicles #1.5) by Laurie Forest

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Taking a quick detour between books 1 and 2 of the Black Witch Chronicles, we have Light Mage, which tells the back story of Sage Gaffney and The Wand of Myth, and how the wand eventually comes to be in Elloren Gardner's possession.

Fleeing the cruel ministrations of her betrothed fastmate, Sage sorrowfully leaves behind her home and family to hide out amongst her supposed enemies, quickly discovering that she must abandon her indoctrinated prejudices as she forges a new path for herself.

View Light Mage at Amazon
Or Rebel Mages, the 2-in-1 containing both Wandfasted and Light Mage
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

I found The Black Witch to be a fantastic read. I read it before I was even aware of all the backlash it had initially received back in 2017 when originally published, having only heard about all that once I read the Goodreads reviews. And while I clearly recognized the fascist xenophobia apparent in the Gardnerian race right from the start, it was obvious that this extreme view was meant to negatively portray the kind of bigoted, closed-minded culture that Elloren grew up in. As a reader, you're meant to feel disgusted by it, and I quickly learned to abhor the strict Gardnerian views and prejudice. But then we get to see Elloren grow as an individual and question these same beliefs, while she learns that much of what she's been taught are fabrications or outright lies meant to indoctrinate and form impressionable young minds. What emerges is a girl who's finding her own mind and forming her own beliefs and impressions of the world based on the truths she's learned.

With all that out of the way, I have to say this is one of the best books I've read this year and I enjoyed it immensely. The fantasy world pulled together by the author is vast and vivid. Characters from many diverse races grace these pages—several of them unique to this series. The Gardnerians for example, are like a combination of Witch and devout Christian, if that's even possible, but Laurie Forest makes it believable and it works together wonderfully. The lush characters and world building drew me in to the story, making me feel as if I was right there and kept me glued to the pages. Definitely looking forward to the rest of this series!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Wandfasted (The Black Witch Chronicles #0.5) by Laurie Forest

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

After reading an excerpt of The Black Witch at the end of Shadow Study, I was immediately intrigued. And since the next book in the Study series wasn't yet available to borrow from my library, I thought I'd dive into this new series instead, starting with the prequel novella. (Although at 200+ pages, this novella was no slouch!)

This novella details the story of Tessla Harrow, mother to Elloren Gardner, the main character in The Black Witch. Here we learn the back story of the Mages prior to The Realm War. The author paints a unique and richly drawn world, lush with magic, fantasy, and various races of beings. As Tessla is drawn to a handsome and powerful Gardnerian Mage, she begins to feel the depth of her power and the strong prejudices and injustices that have haunted her people for ages.

This novella just barely scratched the surface of what's to come in The Black Witch, and while I'll miss these characters, I'm already deeply enthralled in this world and anxiously looking forward to reading more. The Black Witch is up next!

View Wandfasted at Amazon
Or Rebel Mages, the 2-in-1 containing both Wandfasted and Light Mage
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Shadow Study (Study #4) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Yay! Yelena, Valek and Janco are back for more adventure! And this time it's Yelena who's gonna lose her magic. But as the group struggles to determine what caused it, Yelena has now become extremely vulnerable to the danger around her—for magic can be inflicted upon her, but she can't react with her own. What's a girl to do? Investigate of course!

All the usual troupe is here and we're introduced to a mysterious new character, Onora, whom I've very much dying to read more about. She's an assassin like Valek and claims to be after his job. Maybe that's exactly what Valek needs so he and Yelena can spend more time together instead of always being apart on their own adventures.

And I won't give it away here, but Yelena ends the book with a surprise! I'm looking forward to reading Night Study next.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Spy Glass (Glass #3) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

In this final installment of the Glass series, Opal is attempting to get her magic powers back by trying to track down vials of her blood that were previously siphoned from her. Traveling all over Sitia, attacked several times in the process, she is at the mercy of those who will do whatever they can to stop her.

As usual, the action is non-stop, the pace and storytelling superb, and I enjoyed seeing a lot of my favorite characters from the Study series here—Yelena, Valek, and Janco in particular. But it's Opal and her story here that keep me from rating this too highly. Because Opal is just a train wreck!! What was otherwise a great read was ruined for me by several of the things that happened with her, or to her.

For a good portion of the book, I was pleasantly surprised to see Opal gain more confidence and assertiveness (goodbye doormat!) and become better about not withholding important information from others—the Master Magicians, her friends, and family. I actually started to like her! And then, lest we get too used to that behavior, let's completely take away all her self will and make her a blood slave to this Galen/Finn guy! Because Opal isn't Opal if someone isn't taking advantage of her!

And then there's the fact that she decided to hook up up with Devlin instead of Kade in the end!! Yup, the dude that tortured her, not just once but twice! Addicted to blood magic as he was at the time... Okay fine, addicts don't always have control over their actions, and when they're getting clean, usually seek forgiveness from the people they've hurt. But forgiveness is one thing; actually marrying her abuser is another! *shakes head* And then poor Kade—beautiful, tormented Kade whom Opal managed to save from himself—is relegated to nothing in this book!!

Overall, I'm still happy I read it (and the rest of this series), just so that I can remind myself why I dislike Opal so much in case she decides to show her face in the Soulfinder series, which I'm going to start on next. I'll be so happy to revisit Yelena and Valek again!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Sea Glass (Glass #2) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Opal Cowan has just discovered a terrifying and substantial new power that can render any magician powerless. Despite being ordered to house arrest by the Council and Master Magicians, Opal defies these orders and sneaks out in an attempt to find Ulrik, whom she believes to have been deceived by blood magic. But as she heads deeper and deeper into hostile territory, and the people she once trusted turn their back on her, Opal must shift alliances and reevaluate her choices if she's to survive.

Sea Glass picked up right where Storm Glass left off, with Opal leaving the Northern territories of Ixia. Like previous titles, there was a whole lot of action going on, but Opal is still as frustratingly idiotic as before—withholding information, making incredibly stupid choices, and basically putting herself and everyone around her in danger.

The whole incident with the sea glass was kind of anticlimactic and didn't add anything to the story. Stormdancer Heli had been so intent on attempting to decode the hidden message in the etched numbers and letters, only to have her and Opal later dismiss the etchings as the rogue magician's way of categorizing his collection. I can only hope this seemingly meaningless plot line is a foreshadowing of something that will become more relevant in the next book.

I was sorely disappointed to see Opal relinquish her powers at the end. Which is leaving me to wonder how I'm going to feel about Spy Glass, the final book in this trilogy. But I'm holding out hope for a turnaround and a good outcome for Opal, because although she's not my favorite character, I'm still a sucker for a happy ending.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Opal Cowan became known as the Glass Magician after helping Yelena capture the evil souls of the Warpers during the Daviian War. Now several years later, and in her 5th year at the Magician's Keep, she's still no closer to discovering what else she can do with her magic other than trap it in glass. But all that's about to change when she's called upon for for a mission to help the Stormdance clan. The orbs which they use to trap storms have been shattering and killing Stormdancers, and her expertise with the molten glass should help them determine the problem and how to fix it. Of course, she runs into plenty of other trouble along the way, and even discovers some additional powers laying dormant. But whether these new powers will put her life into even more jeopardy remains to be seen.

Obviously, this trilogy centers on Opal Cowan and is told from her POV. It should be read after the first three Study Books—Poison Study, Magic Study, and Fire Study. At first I thought I'd miss Yelena and not like these as much, but yay! Yelena is still referenced often and makes plenty of appearances here.

Opal is okay, but not nearly as badass as Yelena. She managed to piss me off with her stupidity several times in this book, particularly when she refuses to listen to her intuition or pay attention to the warning bells going off in her head. For example, after everything that she went through, taking direction to go on a mission from Ulrick instead of directly from Zitora??!! What's up with that?? Towards the end, she's learning to become a little more confident in herself, and I seriously hope that trend continues because I don't want to end up throwing my Kindle across the room again! 🤣

If you didn't read the first three Study books, a lot of this series may be lost on you. While the author does share about past events through Opal's thoughts, it's not really enough. But because I did, and am reading them in the order MVS recommends here, everything flowed together nicely for me. And I know I'll have more Yelena-specific titles to look forward to as well after this trilogy.


View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor by Shawn M. Warner

My Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Leigh Howard is simply a wreck after the murder of her parents sent her on a downhill spiral. Orphaned, she's sent to live with distant cousins at Simmons-Pierce Manor, a large sprawling estate, where she's welcomed into the family by her "aunt" and "uncle", her ebullient cousin Myra, and an ancient ghost with a personality disorder. Unfortunately, not much is known about the circumstances surrounding Leigh's parents murder, and as Leigh struggles with her grief, she's determined to find the answers herself since the investigation seems to be going nowhere. But just what can a 16 year girl with a mental health condition accomplish on her own... or with the help of her new friends? The answer might surprise you!

I simply had to read this after all the fuss, so here's my thoughts:

THE GOOD:
The story itself was interesting and entertaining! It had a good premise and strong characters. I appreciated that Leigh was headstrong and determined, despite being a bit emo due to her seemingly insurmountable depression, and her cousin Myra was the perfect counterpoint to that. The relationship between Leigh and Myra was sweet and loving, with Myra being a loyal companion to Leigh from the start.

The ghost, or ghosts in this case, also made for quite a bit of fun. Especially Little Bodie who was as mischievous as any 11-year-old boy.

THE BAD:
It started off a bit boring and cliché, and the writing style was a bit hard to get into. Perhaps it was because I'd just finished a book by Sarah Waters prior to this, her writing style so very emotive. But here, I felt the author was continually telling—she saw, she felt, it was, it looked like, etc.— instead of showing or describing. But alas, this is the hallmark of many newly published authors, so I attempted to overlook this when I could. Hopefully Mr. Warner can tighten up his style as he continues to publish because he has a good story here; the writing of it could just use a bit of polish.

While I hate to dwell on the negative, I also didn't think that Leigh really sounded like a 16 year old girl, especially one who just attempted suicide. I believe this is the author, an older gentleman, attempting to project how he thinks a 16 year old girl thinks and talks, but he was pretty far off the mark in many respects. Some of her thoughts sounded as if she was 20 something, while others like she was 12. Again, I attempted to overlook it as I read.

THE UGLY:
I believe this book should've come with a trigger warning. Suicide is a very serious mental health issue, and I don't think it was handled properly in this story at all, kind of blown off as if it's something every 16 year old has done or attempted to. At the very least, a warning at the front of the book and a public service message at the end with a number to call. As this book is directed to teens and young adults, the author needs to keep in mind that there are impressionable young minds reading it too.


Overall, I'm glad I read this, despite my misgivings stated above. Every author has to start somewhere and I believe this is a promising start, and that with proper guidance, Mr. Warner's fanciful imagination can conjure up some great stories!


View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Affinity by Sarah Waters

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Margaret Prior is a proper lady in 1870's Victorian England. After her Pa dies, she becomes a "Lady Visitor" at Millbank women's prison to help deal with her grief. And while visiting the various inmates there, becomes quite taken with a spiritualist named Selina Dawes, whom she comes to feel was wrongly imprisoned.

The atmosphere was very dark and gothic, and Ms Waters has a great talent for writing that really pulls you into that place. While the first 50-60% of the story was rather slow and plodding, the next half, once Selina began to pull Margaret in, began to pick up the pace. Unlike one of my other friends who reviewed this book, I didn't see this ending coming and was quite surprised and distraught by how things turned out.

If you like dark tales of Victorian England, then you'll probably like this, even the slower beginning which help to build a very strong atmosphere. While I didn't like it as much as some of Waters other novels like Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, I still found it quite worth the read.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Fire Study (Study #3) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Yelena is again fighting for her life! Now that she's been told she's a Soulfinder, her new Sitian friends are afraid of her. There hasn't been another Soulcatcher in the last 125 years and that one was wicked to the core! As a new threat descends upon Sitia—or same threat, different book really—Yelena travels through various realms, including some not of this plane, to go up against some very strong magic—so strong that just might kill her!

I loved that this book explored the Sandseed culture—it was something I was hoping for after reading the previous book, Magic Study. However, to my dismay, it wasn't long before most of the peaceful Sandseeds were killed off, and only their offshoots, the evil Daviian Clan, remained. 😢

Yelena seemed a little less brash, and wasn't always flying off to wage battles without proper consideration this time around. (They had a funny name for it in the previous book, though I can't quite recall it exactly.) So to that end, I found her behavior less annoying than the previous book.

However, and it's only because I enjoyed Poison Study so much that I have to make this critique, but did MVS switch editors for this book? Little things like misplaced semicolons, or dropped pronouns, prepositions & articles irked me, sometimes forcing me to go back and reread a sentence or paragraph several times. A few plot inconsistencies—like I could've sworn Valek previously told Yelena that he helped to smuggle young magicians out of Ixia, not kill them—yet that's exactly what she thought he did. There were a couple others... I can't recall now as I didn't write them down.

Overall, still a very good read, and what was initially supposed to be the end to the Study series... though further books were later added. I look forward to reading more!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Magic Study (Study #2) by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Yelena is trying to settle in after her emigration from Ixia to Sitia. She's met her family, including an angry, spirited older brother, and begun her lessons at The Magician's Keep in the Citadel, where she's treated with wariness and suspicion. It's definitely not smooth sailing! Especially as a rogue magician is kidnapping young girls and straining her magical limits because yup, she just has to jump in to be the savior!

Magic Study picked up right where Poison Study left off. The world building of the Sitian Zaltana and Sandseed clans was really unique and interesting. I hope we get a deep dive into some of the other clans in future novels because I really did prefer the magical, Sitian landscape of this book as opposed to the military structure of Ixia.

Character-wise however, Yelena really bugged me quite a bit with her rash decisions, ignoring the Master Magicians, and constantly jumping into dangerous situations on her own without regard for anyone or anything else. As if after only two seasons in at the Keep in Sitia, she suddenly knows better than all the Master Magicians. Often times, her lack of foresight just gets her into trouble until someone else has to come to her rescue. Definitely not a very accommodating team player!

Despite my aggravation with Yelena, I did enjoy the story as a whole. The action was pretty intense and there were a few twists that I didn't see coming. I really hope that Yelena goes to spend some time with the Sandseeds in a future book though... she could really use some of their influence.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Study of Poisons by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Having just started on the Study trilogy, I read this right after Poison Study and LOVED rereading the story from Valek's point of view. Everything fit together so perfectly. A few times when reading particular scenes, I even jumped back to Poison Study to remind myself what Yelena was thinking (or doing) at the time. Since Poison Study was still fresh in my mind however, I only did that a couple times, and never once did I find any inconsistencies in the story between the different points of view. Well done! On to Magic Study next!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

I can't believe I waited this long to read this... it had been sitting on my TBR since it was first released, but I was in the middle of so many other series at the time that it just kind of fell by the wayside. I'm sorry now that I waited so long.

The story here is a very unique concept and an engaging and quick read... lots of detailed world building and action kept me reading well into the night, hard to put down. Fortunately reading on my Kindle helps with the late night readings. ;)

I love strong, female leads, and while Yelena was knocked down and broken at the start of this book, when given a second chance at life, she quickly bounced back to reclaim her strong-willed, iron-clad demeanor despite all the odds against her.

As a potential love interest, Valek presents a mysterious picture. He keeps his emotions close to his chest and we never really know what he's thinking throughout the story. To that end, I have a copy of The Study of Poisons which is this same story told from Valek's POV, and I'm currently reading that one now. Based on how Poison Study ended, and the relationship that developed between these two, I'm really intrigued to reread this story from his point of view and delving into his mind.


View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Court of Silver Flames (Court of Thorns and Roses #4) by Sarah J. Maas

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

This installment in the Court of Thorns and Roses series centers primarily around Nesta and Cassian. As the rest of the gang are strategizing to prevent another war, Nesta is fighting the demons inside her. We get a deep dive into her character, find out what makes her tick and why she is the way she is. Yeah, since the change she's got that whole PTSD thing going on, causing her to push people away... but she was a major bitch even before then as a human. And I like that we get to find out more about that too. While I didn't really appreciate the way the rest of the "Inner Circle" went about forcing her to deal with her issues, I'm glad it was effective. For in the end, Nesta has gone from a cold, uncaring individual to a passionate, headstrong badass!

While her struggles and sacrifices are laid bare for the reader to see, she continues to build a wall around herself throughout most of the book to keep from opening up her emotions to others. The new friendships she develops with Gwyn and Emelie (and the house) are heartwarming, and eventually help her to grow and develop, to open up and overcome most of her issues. Plus the whole Vakyrie warrior thing was awesome! (My computer is actually named Valkyrie so yeah, I've got a thing for them!)

This book definitely fell outside of the Young Adult category for sure though... the sex scenes were pretty hard and explicit. Not really any complaints from me, but it wasn't until I got to these parts that I understood SJM abandoned the YA category for this title completely.

While the outside plot here was a bit minimal, it's the character development of Nesta that was the primary focus of this book. And I can't believe I gobbled down all 757 pages in just 4 days. I only hope Nesta didn't completely lose all her sharpness to become a meek flower like Elain. I'll be looking forward to upcoming books in the series to find out.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Court of Frost and Starlight (Court of Thorns and Roses #3.5) by Sarah J. Maas

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Very little "action" happening in this novella, but from what I understand, it's meant to be more of a "bridge" anyway from A Court of Wings and Ruin (book 3) to A Court of Silver Flames (book 4, or possibly book 5 if you're looking at Amazon since Amazon considers ACOFAS as book 4, while Goodreads calls it book 3.5) *shrug* 🤷🏼

That said, it's a fun little read that takes place during the Winter Solstice... and since the characters should be taking time to spend with family and not putting out fires anyway, it fits. I mean, they can't be at war 365 days a year. Even the bad guys like to take a little time off to celebrate the holidays! 🤣

We get a bit more insight into Nesta and Cassian, which will actually be expanded upon in much greater detail in ACOSV. Yay! So was this book really required? NO. Could it's contents have been seamlessly incorporated into the following book (ACOSF) instead? YES, definitely! Should this book have cost less than the others in the series? I think so, yes. Though I rented it from my local library anyway, so that didn't really affect me.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Rule of Wolves (King of Scars #2) by Leigh Bardugo

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Much more action in this one than in King of Scars. It was exciting and edge-of-your-seat moments pretty much the whole way through. I always liked Zoya's character, but even more so after this book! And Nikolai... such a rogue! For some reason, the Mad Hatter 🎩from Alice in Wonderland would pop into my head every so often during his dialogue. 🤣 He is just so downright odd and spunky most of the time! I'm glad Nina (view spoiler)[finally got her happy ending with Hanne. She totally deserves it! (hide spoiler)] I will seriously miss these characters and hope that there will be further books taking place in this universe in the near future.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

King of Scars was a fine addition to the Grishaverse series, though I didn't really like it as much as the Shadow & Bone trilogy. As another friend of mine claimed, I think this was probably the weakest of the Grishaverse books so far. Not to say it wasn't a good read, but I just miss the (mis)adventures of Alina and Mal! This story centers around King Nikolai as he's trying to fight the darkness that was left within him by the Darkling... so there's a lot of internal struggle going on within the king. There's also a lot of Nina, who's acting as a spy up in Fjerda... not my favorite place. The book ends with a bang however, an obvious lead up to a lot more action to take place in the sequel, which I'm looking forward to reading next.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

While I was vaguely familiar with the name Baba Yaga, this was actually the first book or story I'd read about her and wow, I enjoyed it immensely. It was steeped in history and so engaging. I love the story of the sentient little house with chicken legs, how the story takes place in today's times but through flashbacks and memories, tells the full story of Baba Yaga, her daughters, and the house, Thistlefoot. I was also glad to have read this on my Kindle so I could easily look up unfamiliar words and terminology, since it used a lot of Yiddish vocab.

Story-wise, I was disappointed with how the siblings held so much back from one another, but I suppose that was in their nature... Bellatine not trusting Issac because he ran away when they were younger. But when Isaac tried to hide the truth from her about the Longshadow Man, that was frustrating... if anything, he should've been trying to get her to trust him. But who's to understand men and their thinking. LOL

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Hundreds Hall had its heyday back in the prewar era and since then, has fallen into a state of disrepair and gloom. It's current inhabitants, the latest family of Ayres, are gentry stock that have fallen victim to the times and their lives are slowly being chipped away. But when Dr. Faraday, a local family physician visits the house, he invariably becomes entwined with the family and their various ordeals. But just what is torturing this family and driving them to such decline and madness... that is the question!

This was a spooky tale of a family slowly drawn to the brink of madness by the supernatural events going on in their house. Of course, during these times, any mention of supernatural occurrences was met with disbelief and claims of hysteria. So you've got the good Dr. Faraday, who is the narrator of this tale, trying to explain everything away with what he believes to be very rational explanations. I felt like screaming at his close-mindedness... but then again, during these early days of science, parapsychology, and even psychology itself, was still looked upon with so much skepticism, so I guess having a doctor believe in that sort of thing back then would've felt completely out of context for the time.

It was the atmospheric writing and sense of dread that kept me engaged however. For Sarah Waters is a fantastic writer that, even when I don't care for the characters as much, I'm still very much drawn into the story. I think I'd have to say little Betty was my favorite character by far!


View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Court of Wings and Ruin (Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As Pyrithian is preparing for war, Feyre goes undercover at the Spring Court to do a bit of investigating. When she later meets with all the High Lords of all 7 kingdoms, her and Rhysand must decide who to trust—who is ally and who is foe—and as usual, things are not what they seem.

This third book in the series was perhaps my favorite, just barely inching out ACOMAF. Feyre has really come into her own and started to embrace her new powers, which she was just learning to use and control in the second book. And because of that, I grew to like her so much more in this installment. While there were some sad bits, there were also a lot of happy and victorious ones as well. I had originally thought this was to be the end of the series, but I believe SJM determined she'd be continuing prior to the release of this, so a few minor story lines were left open, such as with Lucien, Elain and Nesta. I'm looking forward to reading book four, A Court of Frost and Starlight, soon.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Court of Mist and Fury (Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series picks up right where the first one left off. Feyre is back at the Spring Court after having barely survived the devastation Under the Mountain, but things are very, very different now. Her new immortal strength, along with everything she endured Under the Mountain, has made her into a very different person from who she was before. Now struggling to escape the suffocating, virtual prison Tamlin has placed her in, Feyre feels she's destined for something more, and is determined to help save both Fae and human from the horrors that lie ahead.

I enjoyed this second book even more than the first, and really began to enjoy Feyre's character even more as she came into her own. I was so happy when Feyre and Rhysand finally got together. I knew that was destined from the previous book, and his story of when he knew was so heart-rending. The ending? LOVED IT! And knew I needed to jump right into book 3 as soon as this one ended.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Feyre is torn from her family and dragged off to the faerie realm, all she knows is based only the stories she's heard growing up. But she soon discovers that while some of the stories have an ounce of truth to them, not all that live in the realm are the cold, heartless animals she'd been led to believe. And when she opens her heart to her captor, Tamlin, her world is indeed changed for the better, even as danger lies around every corner.

I originally read this book awhile back in 2015, but couldn't remember how it ended (nor had I done a written review), so I wanted to reread it again before starting the others in this series. I think I enjoyed it more the second time around, gobbling it up in only 5 days vs a month the previous time. The author has a very descriptive prose that allowed me to immerse myself in the beautiful, magical world she created... well, sometimes beautiful, but other times quite dark and scary as well. And I felt like I was right there next to Feyre seeing everything through her eyes. I'm anxiously looking forward to see what happens with Feyre and Tamlin next... and while Rhysand was indeed a "bad guy" even he got to me, so I'm also looking forward to finding out what became of him too since we were left with a bit of a cliffhanger there.

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads

REVIEW: In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's 1918 and the world is on the brink of collapse. People are dying from the Spanish Flu or being shipped overseas to die in the war over there. The Spiritualism movement is in full swing in the US and 16 year old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort. She never believed in ghosts herself, but when her childhood sweetheart, who had went off to war, begins to appear to her, she starts to question her previous beliefs. But what does he really want, and how is she supposed to help?

This is the second book I've ready by Cat Winters, the other being The Cure for Dreaming which I also enjoyed very much. She has such an evocative style of writing that really pulls you in and makes you feel as if you're right there living everything right alongside Mary Shelley. The depictions of the Spanish Influenza had so many parallels to our recent COVID-19 virus, but it also made me realize that the Spanish Flu was soooo much worse! I guess since medicine wasn't as advanced then, it would make sense that more people died. I really enjoy it when a book not only tells a very interesting story, but also teaches me a thing or two!

View at Amazon
View at Goodreads