Month: December 2024

Review of How to Summon a Fairy Godmother by Laura J. Mayo

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Synopsis:
If a fairy godmother can get one sister into a marriage, getting another out of one should be easy… 

Lady Theodosia Balfour is screwed—with the Balfour estate on the verge of bankruptcy, and Theo’s royal stepsister spreading wicked rumors about her, Theo’s only path forward seems to be a forced betrothal a foul-tempered geezer who wishes only to use her as a brood mare. 

Desperate for help, Theo clings to the only thing that might save her: the rumor of a fairy godmother. And after discovering a way to summon one, Theo thinks her prayers have been answered. But the fairy she meets isn’t at all what she imagined. Drop-dead gorgeous and slightly devious, Cecily of the Ash Fairies is much more interested in smoking her pipe than providing charitable magic to . Now, Theo must prove she’s good to gain Cecily’s trust (and magic), but proving goodness doesn’t seem to be all that easy. In fact, it all seems to be rather ridiculous…

Review:
“Prove to me that inside that nasty exterior is a good person just waiting to come out and I’ll help you.” (Chapter 7, Page 98)

Another Theo-named heroine… or is she an anti-heroine? I absolutely loved this take on what one of the stepsisters was really like, and what really went down when Cinderella was granted a magical night by a fairy godmother–with no price attached! Theo knows what she’s considered, and she knows that only she can control her own actions. While many are often quick to blame everyone involved, the stepmother and stepsisters, this book does a great job of showing nature versus nurture, and why sometimes people might need a kick to be good. I adored Theo’s interactions with a certain fae male. This book had great characterization and the descriptions were breathtaking, lovely, and really drew you into the moment as if it was actually in front of you. One of the things I thought made this book great was how none of the characters were likeable, really, and yet you still started to care about them and wanted to learn more of what happened/happens to them.

I highly recommend this book to any fairy tale fanatics out there.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

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Synopsis:
Poor Princess Anya. Stuck living with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil step-stepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her step-stepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own.

Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land—and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low.

Review:
Now this book sounds like a true fairytale, meant for everyone, and it is! The book is humorous and yet has a princess that has to work to keep herself safe and learn to do things on her own, while also learning to ask for help in the right way, at the right time, and who to trust. While there are quite humorous bits, there are also many characters that have very serious consequences or situations thrust upon them that both show that one cannot always control what happens, but also that making smart choices results in better futures. There is a moral and lesson for everyone who reads this story; it’s fun, it’s sweet, it’s cute.

It’s very much not what one thinks of when they would think of a Garth Nix book, especially if they had read the Abhorsen trilogy because this book is very much written for a younger audience. While Garth Nix had previously stated that he wouldn’t write down for younger readers, it would take a certain type of reader/person to read said trilogy because the depth involved. While these character all have good backstories, it’s written in a way that younger people could easily connect, understand, and resonate with what’s going on.

I immediately handed this book off to a good friend when I was finished because it’s a nice, sweet, fairy tale, light read for an adult, and I think it’s something that most younger people would enjoy and everyone would get something out of. I highly recommend this book, as I likely would all Garth Nix works.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Synopsis:
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Review:
This book was recommended to me ages ago by my good friend and cover artist of both my books Pas de Deux and The Case Files of Alessandra Clement: La Llorona, Kostis. I did pick it up both in paper and then on kindle format, but it sat, waiting, waiting, waiting… until T. Kingfisher mentioned at the end of What Moves the Dead how amazing of a gothic novel it was so I had to immediately go to it.

This book has an irresistible story. From the beginning Noemí knows what she wants and is more than willing to say the right thing to twist the situation, yet she needs all her smarts and allure to try to deal with what is happening at High Place. Though Noemí is set up to be considered a brat and someone who takes advantage of people, there is great characterization to show that she isn’t the perfect partier that everyone thinks of her as. “But it isn’t like you should have to make up your mind about everything at twenty-two, she thought.” (Chapter 1, Page 11) The atmosphere was secluded, dark, spooky, and the house itself seemed as if there could be something wrong with it. The house almost seems like there may be something very reasonably wrong with it causing issues and yet, it seems that the mystery of the family and house must slowly be riddled out from various outside connections from the town or her own ideas entirely.

I absolutely loved how Noemí found herself caught up in various dreams and realizing just how much she really disliked someone, and the sleep walking that came with it. Many of the characters were set up to be unapproachable by the townsfolk and Noemí herself and that, in many ways, made them unlikable–which considering the family’s history is unsurprising. I loved the descriptions of the landscape and that there is a big cemetery involved in the sprawling estate. Everything about this novel was gothic, spooky, and utterly perfect. I did quite enjoy the ending even though originally I hadn’t thought I would have if that possibility came to fruition.

I highly recommend this book if you like Gothic Horror/Gothic Fiction, and enjoy a good creepy dark ambiance. Once you start it, you’ll find it hard to put down! I was raving about it for quite a while after I read it!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

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Synopsis:
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

Review:
This book had me enthralled from the absolute beginning. The setting was perfectly dim and dark and creepy, especially when compared to other places known by the main character. The past flash backs were well established and perfectly aligned when and where they needed to be. The mention of history and language was always well added and never seemed gratutious. Everything was perfectly dark, gothic, and seemed set for there to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the mental decline that the Ushers seemed to be facing. I never imagined in a million years what it turned out was actually happening, and the story haunted me for many days afterward.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Be Enchanted by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When an ancient evil stirs in the small town of Forkbridge, Florida, it’ll take more than a good luck charm to save the day. Luckily, witch and psychic Astra Arden is on the case!

Astra is hoping for a quiet, pumpkin spice-filled fall. But her plans for a cozy season are foiled when a cryptic riddle arrives on her doorstep, foretelling darkness to come. With her snarky owl familiar Archie at her side and her magic shop to run, Astra must unravel the riddle’s clues while contending with cryptic warnings from the Greek gods, a meddling mayor, and a mysterious psychic who may know more than she lets on.

Astra will need the help of her sisters and her werewolf boyfriend to solve this mystery. But as the clock ticks down to Halloween, one thing becomes clear: if she can’t uncover the truth in time, Forkbridge may be history. Literally.

Review:
I loved that this mystery got everyone working together, and I also loved the sass everyone was giving the god-dads! As usual, the owl witch mysteries are a quick read, cozy mystery. The girls did seem a bit caught up in themselves, so I am glad they had to connect more with each other/family and realize that you shouldn’t take people for granted. The ending was absolutely gut wrenching and I wish I had known since I’ve been just waiting, waiting, waiting for the next installment!!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

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Synopsis:
Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

Review:
“Who wants to be around someone tied so closely to death and darkness? It’s morbid.” (Chapter 26, Page 208)

Oh my goodness. I love this book so very much that I snagged a physical copy after having read this on kindle. I have reading exclusively on the kindle and working on weeding the library of things that aren’t loved but this book needs to be on the shelves! There are real characters with great depth, secrets, and so many twists and turns throughout the plotline. There were several times when I thought I knew/understood everything that was going on and then when revealed found I was only partially correct in my assumptions. I thought the challenges were great, and Ophelia’s sense of herself and her family thoroughly grew as the story progressed. I absolutely adored Blackwell from the start, and while I wasn’t sure if I would like Ophelia, I loved how she had to grow and change once she was in Phantasma. This book was an opulent mash up of Phantom of the Opera and Caravel, some of my top loves. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, a bit of darkness, some romance, twists and turns, competitions, and who loves Phantom of the Opera and Caravel.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Darkness Within Us By Tricia Levenseller

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Synopsis:
Chrysantha Stathos has won.
By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she’s ever wanted.

Or so she thought.
A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face.

Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he’s extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers . . . No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants.

Review:
I thought I was going to hate this book. Really, I had adored Alessandra and how she deviated from society, how she was willing to do whatever it took (and she was willing to) in order to gain the future she wanted for herself, and women in general. That being said, Chrysantha completely surprised me and I ended up absolutely loving her as well, in completely different ways. It was interesting to see how there are different types of strength and resilience, as well as intelligent ways to go about having freedom and the life you want. This book was just as endearing and heartfelt/heartrending as The Shadows Between Us, with different stakes, different magic, and entirely different characters. I enjoyed getting to see Alessandra and her King once again, and how well they compliment each other.

If you like enemies-to-lovers, strong female protagonists, and some interesting magic, this is definitely a book for you and I’d highly recommend it.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Hex and Hexability by Kate Johnson

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Synopsis:
Bridgerton meets The Ex Hex this witchy season with this oh so spicy romantasy Regency romcom!

‘Do you want to see what witches can do?’

Lady Tiffany Worthington has always had a special talent for making the world around her come to life – whether she wants it to or not – but it’s only with the arrival of her mysterious great aunt Esme on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo that she learns she’s a witch … and that the magic she’s long feared is actually a gift to be embraced.

Now, as she’s exposed to a side of London she never knew existed, one with sea creatures, magical portals, time travel, and a handsome duke from a faraway land with a dashing scar that makes him look like a pirate, Lady Tiffany discovers that despite what the ton might decree, there is no limit to what she can do … or who she can be.

Review:
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book because I really hadn’t been a great fan of Hex Appeal but I was so pleasantly surprised by how amazing this book was! Firstly, while hearing about the “Tiffany problem” everywhere, this is the first book that had a Tiffany in it set in older times, using the “proper” form of the name: Theophania. (This has been a year of Effie/Effy and Thea/Theadoras). Everything about this book really showed how stifled women could be when in polite society. The way in which ladies were expected to keep up with fashion and goings on and never really truly think or do anything different or unexpected made it very clear why Tiffany didn’t want the life she felt was being thrust upon her. Add in a bit of magic and a Duke who isn’t at all what is expected of a Duke, some mythical creatures, and there is just so much going for this book! I adored Santiago and thought his past and current hang ups were well fleshed out and fitting.

I tried this book because it was mentioned to be “Brigerton meets” and moreso the “spicy romantasy Regency romcom” and I was not disappointed! I highly recommend this to anyone who wonders why happily ever after is always “they got married and had a baby, THE END”, who loves magic, pirates, and people who go against societies expectations.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater

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Synopsis:
The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.

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

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

Review:
I wasn’t certain how I was going to feel about this book as I started it, realizing that Winifred is very different to what one expects from a governess. Her unlikely background made me absolutely fall in love with her. I absolutely love the world of Half a Soul so getting to continue on and read more in that universe is always a treat. I loved how well this book blended the fantasy with the realistic societal expectations of the time for women. I adore how the villain is both not what you’d expect, and yet those wrapped up with them is entirely who you would expect. This book is perfect. It has relatable characters, slowly developed relationships, realism mixed with the perfect amount of fantastical.

I highly recommend this book to any who love fairy tales, fairy tale retellings, magic, fantasy, mystery, adventure and a bit of romance sprinkled on top.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Gothikana by RuNyx

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Synopsis:
An outcast her entire life, Corvina Clemm is left adrift after losing her mother. When she receives the admission letter from the mysterious University of Verenmore, she accepts it as a sign from the universe. The last thing she expects though is an old, secluded castle on top of a mountain riddled with secrets, deceit, and death.

An enigma his entire life, Vad Deverell likes being a closed book but knowing exactly everything that happens in the university. A part-time professor working on his thesis, Vad has been around long enough to know the dangers the castle possesses. And he knows the moment his path crosses with Corvina, she’s dangerous to everything that he is.

They shouldn’t have caught each other’s eye. They cannot be. But a chill-inducing century-old mystery forces them to collide. People have disappeared every five years over the past century, Corvina is getting clues to unraveling it all, and Vad needs to keep an eye on her.

And so begins a tale of the mysterious, the morbid, the macabre, and a deep love that blossoms in the unlikeliest of places.

Review:
I found this book through the insanely large social media following it has.

This story has a lot of weird elements that while perhaps gothic, are also just odd. At some points there seems to be an active story going on, with dark atmosphere and whispers on the wind. In others, there are parts that definitely seem unrealistic; can you imagine a college where you are given a curfew, no cell phones/telephone access, and mail can only be posted once a week? The language was repetitive in the descriptions as well. That being said, the characters were well fleshed out but I honestly didn’t find myself liking Corvina that much.

Despite there being killings/disappearances, having a ball that the school completely pays for, including all the clothing for students, that ends up being an… group adult affair involving less clothing… didn’t seem very college like to me.

All in all, while the mystery was interesting, there was a lot that constantly took me out of the story.

Star rating: ✯✯✯