Fantasy and SciFi

Fantasy and Science Fiction Book Reviews

Review of Uncharted Grounds by Lara McKenzie

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Synopsis:
Life hasn’t been normal since a mermaid resurrected Maya Rivers.

Between supernatural side effects, the terrifying mermaid mafia who wants more than she’s prepared to give, and a shadow demon who would raze realms to keep her safe, Maya is trying to figure out who she is—and where she truly belongs.

In a world of chaotic friendship and found family, one thing’s certain: Maya isn’t just surviving anymore.

She’s ready to stand her ground.


Review:
“My bathroom is a battleground, my sleep schedule is a myth, and I no longer wonder why there’s seaweed in the sink.” (Page 13)

“Genevieve is the therapist I never knew I needed. She’s just like, “You’re an idiot and here’s why. Also, I’m stealing your crisps.”” (Page 48)

“I used to think closure came from burning bridges. It turns out that it can also come from walking away quietly and meaning it.” (Page 233)

This book was mostly about how to survive trauma, and still be yourself/not blame yourself for being protected. While Maya has her own place, she is still finding herself and although she has enough to consider after resurrection she certainly ends up with quite the fight in this book as well. I absolutely loved how Maya worked with those she cares about to gain more self esteem and be willing to stand up for herself. This series is also absolutely brilliant at breaking the fourth wall and mocking traditional book/romance novel tropes in hilarious ways (I totally agree with Scorpion!) The ending certainly had me instantly reaching for book 4.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Brew Diligence by Lara McKenzie

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Synopsis:
Just as Maya thinks she can relax into recovery and a budding romance with a demon general, the afterlife throws her a curveball.

The Grim Reaper who saved her wasn’t just locked away—he was erased from existence.

What starts as a rescue mission quickly becomes a masterclass in magical bureaucracy, inter-realm politics, and one seriously unhinged plot twist.

Join Maya again as she blogs her way through enough supernatural shenanigans to short-circuit reality.

Review:
“Don’t they realise I’m just a girl with a weird brain, a ghost cat, and questionable coping mechanisms?” (Page 64)

Maya’s life seems so different after the capture of someone who shall not be named, yet in many ways life continues. I wasn’t upset by the changes she had in her life because she is becoming more stable but there were times it was a bit frustrating that she would continue to fixate on something as a problem that very much was not. I quite enjoyed the new characters introduced and getting to know a bit more of their backstories. I wasn’t expecting the very huge life altering event within this blog sequence (but I bet Maya wasn’t either!)

I loved how everyone that Maya has worked with is willing to come together for her. Slowly she is realizing she is the glue (or the light, as many like to say) that helps everyone work together and stay on the same path. Learning more about Charlotte and her brilliant defense for Gary was truly spectacular. I would love to hear more of Charlotte, and I am very infested in continuing on to see where life takes Maya!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Espresso Yourself by Lara McKenzie

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Synopsis:
Maya, a human barista, takes a job at a coffee shop inside the supernatural Umbrafore Complex.


She’s ready for demanding customers and the occasional brooding vampire.


She’s not ready to become supernaturally famous, attract a theatrical serial killer, or stumble into a situations that spans five books and changes the course of her life.


Follow Maya as she blogs her way through murder, romance, and learning where she truly belongs.


Review:
“Choose a drink for a demon? Sir, I’m just a barista and don’t have soul insurance.” (Page 25)

This book starts a bit chaotic and because of the way it’s set up; I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I was quickly drawn into a fast paced, humourous story that I couldn’t get enough of. While we learn of Maya from the standpoint of her work, throughout her blog she slowly starts introducing the reader to more about her; her home life, what the complex she works at is like. All of the descriptions of supernaturals she serves are outright delightful, especially because she gives most interesting nicknames because she doesn’t know their names. All of the characters introduced have such depth and unique stories of their own that while it’s great to see what’s happening at Pulse (the coffee shop she works at; no spoilers here!) It’s also awesome to see what adventures she ends up going on with people she works with. The found family trope is done perfectly in this novel, and once you get in to this, especially given the chapters are little blogs, it’s almost impossible to set down.

This is a new style of epistolary fiction that has more depth and emotion than most older novels of the same genre. The pacing is perfection because every blog generally is the space of one day or major event in the storyline– you can read as much or little as you want, but if Maya didn’t think it was important enough to blog, you don’t have to read about it (no overwriting). The book also plays a bit in and on itself and the tropes it has within and Maya calls it like it is, which some may consider breaking the fourth wall, but really just makes it realistic as a blog-turned-book. That being said, Maya also is there for everyone reading; those who feel unloved, unloveable, feel that they are taking up too much space– her words call out to everyone, with affirmations she learns and tries to embody along her journey.

“You don’t have to be magical to matter.” (Page 159)

Serious Kudos to Lara McKenzie– Maya’s blogs are as addictive as fancy foam lattes, and I’m already on book 3 in the series at the time of writing this review.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for modern/contemporary/urban fantasy with found family vibes featuring a human who gets a crash course in all things supernatural.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

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Synopsis:
A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

“Mom seems off.”

Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above.

To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

Review:
Creepy is for old Gothic mansions and run-down cabins out in the woods, not cookie-cutter houses in the middle of a subdivision. (Page 31)

I absolutely loved this book. While a haunted house story, this is the very opposite of a house you would expect something ominous to occur in; it’s in a subdivision! The characters have great depth, with clear interests and desires and while Sam likes how her life has turned out, it is also clear why that life might not have appealed to older relatives. Like any proper southern gothic story there is a proper build up of what ifs and someone must be messing with the family moments.

I loved that the neighborhood was so fleshed out and that everyone was clearly not just what the stereotype around them/their interests would make them out to be. There are a great amount of twists and turns and I loved that Sam really looked at everything happening from every scientific angle, especially when worrying about her mother. Despite the strangeness going on, she didn’t suddenly change her entire mindset to just accept what she had always known as not possible. The ending was quite peculiar but most gothic horror (here’s looking at you Lovecraft) has a bit of oddness to it. While the ending concept was certainly unique, I loved how Kingfisher interwove known oddballs of history to make up some of the ancestors’ pasts.

I greatly enjoyed this book and if you like haunted houses, realistic protagonists, vultures, and very sensible people being drawn into something that can’t easily be explained, this book is for you. (I do think most who enjoyed H. P. Lovecraft of Algernon Blackwood would like this book.)

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of How to Find a Nameless Fae by A. J. Lancaster

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Synopsis:
What happens when a first-born bargain goes wrong?

Princess Gisele has spent her life preparing for an evil fae sorcerer to claim her. That was the bargain her mother was tricked into: one royal first-born in exchange for spinning straw into gold.

But it’s been decades, and he still hasn’t shown up.

The unfulfilled fairytale-debt, however, is refusing to lie quietly. When its chaotic magic reaches unbearable levels, Gisele takes matters into her own hands. Terrifying fae sorcerer or not, she’ll hunt him down and force him to stop ruining her life.

But instead of an evil mastermind, she finds the scholarly, nameless lord of a magical house. He wants nothing to do with the angry knife-wielding spinster on his doorstep. Unfortunately, the fairytale-debt has other ideas.

Now magically bound to her lifelong nemesis, the only way to break the magic between them is to work together to find the nameless fae’s lost name. Assuming they don’t strangle each other first.

HOW TO FIND A NAMELESS FAE is a cozy fantasy romance retelling of Rumplestiltskin with spice, featuring a middle-aged heroine, a buttoned-up hero, and an interfering sentient house.

Review:
“On her fortieth birthday, Princess Gisele of Isshia realised she was going to have to save herself.” (Page 9)

This book started so strong with a middle aged heroine who has lived a very different life to what one in her position was expected to do, due to the bargain holding her life hostage. It was easy to like Gisele as you learn of her blight and see how well she has learned to navigate life despite her curse. While I love the humanization of a character that has been seen as a villain for most of time, I was not a fan of his less than human side. All the characters were relatively well developed, but I found the romance aspect to have been assumed and immediately on the nose from the moment those two characters interacted. I did find most of the major plot points to be predictable, and while there was still enough of a surprise where/how in the story, I personally did not find this book to be for me (mostly due to lack of humanity as stated). There is some spice, but as I skimmed it very quickly, I will not be rating it.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

*This was read in February, though reviewed now.

Review of Squib by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
She’s supposed to find him the perfect match. Falling for him herself was not part of the deal.

Mallory has zero magic. No spells, no shape-shifting and no flashy Preternatural strength. But in the magical city of Coldstream, Mallory has made knowledge her power and she turns secrets and favours into currency.

Enter Alexander MacTire: alpha werewolf, wealthy businessman, and walking temptation. He wants Mallory to find him a mate. She wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

But MacTire isn’t used to hearing no—and Mallory’s not immune to his charm, no matter how hard she tries. What starts as a reluctant business arrangement soon turns into something dangerously personal. Because the more she gets to know him, the less she wants to help him find love … with anyone but her.

The first book in the Coldstream Chronicles is jam-packed full of magic, mayhem, and slow-burn heat. It can be read as a standalone or alongside The Cat Lady Chronicles.

Review:
“You present yourself as flowers and sunshine, Ms Nash, but in truth you possess a core of steel.”
“Titanium.” (Page 14)

I started this after finishing the last Cat Lady Chronicles book that is out now (see my review of A Skirl of Sorcery here). I already was interested in what Mallory’s backstory was going to be; she doesn’t have magic but she does have power. She is wily and has her own sense of self. In many ways Mallory is similar to Kit; more than she appears. This book was very different than those in the Cat Lady Chronicles and while the general who ends up with who was something I had predicted, wanted, and hoped since a certain restaurant scene in one of said Cat Lady Chronicles books, I was oh so pleased by the experience and interwoven client problem Mallory had to work through while dealing with Alexander MacTire. It was also so nice to see Ethan (MacTire’s nephew) again, even though he was a side character in this novel. I quite enjoyed the interactions between Mallory and Alex, and her straight to the point unwillingness to deal with him being an alpha-hole. I am interested to see what Mallory and MacTire end up dealing with in future installments, and hope that Kit becomes involved in helping with their maybe not so little vampire problem. The characters and world were well fleshed out, and of course I cannot wait for the next book.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯


*This was read in February, but reviewed just now.

Review of Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney

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Synopsis:
He was the other half of my soul—the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation: my Heathcliff.

Cathy Earnshaw’s got the devil inside her—or at least that’s what the small, cultish community she’s spent her whole life trapped inside would say. She can sense death coming, and every loss sends her spiraling into a violent, uncontrollable episode of grief, wailing like a banshee across the swampy forests of the Lowcountry. With a secret as dark as hers, there’s no hope of relief, or escape, or finding someone with a chance of understanding.

Until she meets him.

Heathcliff’s got his own trauma, and a secret just as dangerous as Cathy’s. Stolen as a child, raised by necromancers, he’s the most forbidden sin she could ever imagine…and the most desperately tempting. Violent in his passions, tender in his affection, he feels like the other half of her soul, but even as they claw desperately to be together, the world seems just as determined to keep them apart.

Because it turns out their little Southern community was built long ago on a graveyard of lies…and every cult needs its sacrificial lamb.

Review:
“… his soul and mine were cut from the same shimmering fabric, hewn from the same rock, dipped from the same pool. Wherever souls come from, we share the same source.” (Page 274)

I wasn’t sure that anyone or anything could make the story of Wuthering Heights have Cathy and Heathcliff be redeemable characters that you would actually care about and not just think about as horrible people but Kenney did the impossible! There were a lot of changes to the original in family matters etc that I did wonder for the first 3/4 of the book why she decided to have this be a Wuthering Heights spin off and not let the story live on it’s own without the very flimsy connections but in the end it did make sense. In many ways I think this story stands as a Dark Modern Fantasy book of its own. There was an extra dimension to this retelling by mixing in religion and cult practices, with much thought given to how people can be persuaded to do things that might usually be against their better judgement or interests. This book also features a lot about death and what can go into mourning.

There are complicated family dynamics, lots of different types of magic, and a love that could not be separated even by death. If that sounds interesting to you, I’d highly recommend this book. Once I started it, I found it near impossible to put down, even though I didn’t really want it to end.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl Take Thee by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
Wedding bells are in the air for witch Astra Arden and her werewolf fiancé Lothian—not to mention her divine owl familiar Archie and his feathery bride-to-be Noctua. But when a guest turns up dead at their joint bachelor-bachelorette party, “till death do us part” takes on an entirely new meaning.

With both weddings just days away, Astra finds herself juggling seating charts, cake tastings, and a murder investigation that’s hitting too close to home. Even worse, the victims’s dying message points to someone in the wedding party as the killer. Could one of their nearest and dearest be harboring deadly secrets beneath their celebratory smiles?

As magical mishaps plague the wedding preparations and suspicion falls on their friends and family, Astra and Archie must race against time to unmask the murderer before they say “I do.” With wedding gifts arriving that seem more like threats and mysterious omens appearing at every turn, the path to matrimonial bliss is anything but smooth.

Can Astra solve the case and still make it down the aisle? Or will this wedding celebration end with a funeral instead of a reception?

Review:
“Bacon transcends tradition. It’s universal. Timeless.” (Page 5)

“… love isn’t about finding someone perfect but about finding someone whose imperfections fit perfectly with yours.” (Page 430)

This book had one of the most intricate and well done mystery plots I have read in a Leeds book in a while! For the first part of the book I found myself frustrated that nothing seemed to relate to Astra’s past in the military and specifically her pyrometry power but both of those things became integral to the plot of this novel! I do wish that there had been more mention of what type of owl Archie is, as I found myself at a loss at one point. I also wish that the cover more accurately portrayed what Astra’s wedding vision is, though perhaps this is the “Percy-ified” version with Blushing Bride pink.

I loved the layers to this mystery and how while certain fae may have been trying to help, they couldn’t outright do so. There were definitely many worries that the wedding would not happen in time, or that a curse would befall them for having to postpone. Though there was tension with Astra’s mother (as always) it was so sweet how much she wanted to be there for her daughter… though I’m sure the cost will equal another book’s adventure in the future. The ending of this book was absolute perfection, and all my love goes to Midnight the owl for being the best little boy he could be!

I recommend this series to anyone who loves cozy modern fantasy mystery and especially owls.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Wizard’s Cat by Nathan Lowell

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Synopsis:
It started with a dandelion.
Innocuous. Ubiquitous.
Who knew it was a warning?

After claiming his big bonus, things are coming up roses for Roger Mulligan. A job he loves. A house that feels like home. Money in the bank. A solid roof over his head and job security.

But when he finds a dandelion on the pristine grounds of Shackleford House, he starts down a twisted, garden path. Old man Shackleford says the fairies have a problem, the pixies keep falling down on the job, and the house seems to grow weaker by the day.

He’s soon tossed into a confusing mixture of fact and fantasy, accompanied by Shackleford’s cousin and – of all things – a stray cat. Surrounded by the fantastical, it’s hard to tell magic from mundane.

Review:
I loved how Barbara got to become front and center in this novel, and how Roger, while changed, has become more resilient than he ever thought possible. While following Roger was always amusing, it was clearly the cat who was the star of the show. I really enjoyed this novel, but in some ways I felt like it didn’t feel as extravagant and all encompassing as the first in the series. In the first novel there were a series of different things that Roger, the house and family had to overcome. In this novel, while there was technically more to be overcome, most of the discourse and nitty gritty of such things (Barbara’s turmoil, the company issues) were done off the page and only vaguely mentioned or referenced. I don’t feel like we are done with the Wizard, his Apprentice, or the Cat so I really hope there will be another book in the future.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves the average guy using his wits to save a situation (especially the magically people involved), people stepping out of their comfort zones and finding their true place, and in the second book- cats!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Too Many Curses by A. Lee Martinez

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Synopsis:
The wizard Margle the Horrendous takes special pride in never killing his enemies. Instead, he transforms them into various accursed forms and locks them away in his castle. His halls are filled with his collection of fallen heroes and defeated villains, along with a few ordinary folk who were just unfortunate enough to draw Margle’s attention.

It’s Nessy’s duty to tend this castle. It’s a lot of work, but she manages, taking pride in housekeeping talents that keep the castle from collapsing into chaos. But when Margle suddenly dies, everything begins to unravel. Nessy finds herself surrounded by monsters, curses, a door that should never be opened, and one very deadly dark wizardess.

Nessy doesn’t have might or magic on her side; she’s just a kobold: short, furry, and sensible. Her allies aren’t much better: a voice without a body, an angry fruit bat, a monster under her bed, a wizard in a jar (or some of him, anyway), and a one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple, people eater. It would be smarter to walk away, but taking care of the castle is Nessy’s job, and that’s just what she intends to do.

If only she could find time to polish the silver while beating back the forces of darkness.

Review:
This book was gifted to me for Christmas, so therefore counts towards the paper books read tally. I personally found the book a bit hard to get into, but then it wasn’t a book I would have picked up for myself. This book was interesting in that it dealt with a lot of neat Dungeons and Dragons adjacent creatures/effects. This was definitely a younger age book than I would have expected, though marketed for adults I really think 8+ could read and enjoy this novel. There were a lot of good moments of learning about one’s self and abilities and not being defined by a title you may have gained/have or what you are considered because of the station you were born into in life.

I would recommend this to any young readers into DnD that like adventure.

Star rating: ✯✯✯