Fantasy

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 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 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 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: ✯✯✯

Review of The Wizard’s Butler by Nathan Lowell

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Synopsis:
“He thinks he’s a wizard,” they said. For five grand a month and a million dollar chaser, Roger Mulligan didn’t care how crazy the old geezer was. All he had to do was keep Joseph Perry Shackleford alive and keep him from squandering the estate for a year. They didn’t tell him about the pixies.

Review:
“Ebooks. This is my only connection to the outer world.” (Page 84)

This book has everything except romance, and always left me wanting to keep reading on. I had to sleep halfway through a chapter many a night because I didn’t want to put this book down! While this book has some sort of wizard, maybe, one of the main focuses is easy to relate to Roger Mulligan, who is former army/former EMT. He’s got a steady mind and can be quick on his feet, which makes his entry into a world he had never imagined; that of being a butler, a job that many think doesn’t even exist, all the more exciting. Especially when you add in that Shackleford thinks he’s a wizard. Despite being about the mundane things we do not want to think about in our own day to day life, Lowell writes Mulligan’s activities in a way that make you want to see more of just what a butler may do and how his job influences and interacts with all of the other ongoing plots. All of the characters had great depth and motives. While at times it seemed a very low-risk cozy modern/urban paranormal fantasy, the fatality at stake leads one to need to keep reading. I loved seeing how the house encouraged change for the inhabitants, and how it helped them to find what they most needed in their lives. Mulligan needed this job, but in many ways, Shackleford needed him to lead him into a new era. I’ve already started the second book, and so far (19% in) it is just as good as the first.

I loved this book immensely and cannot wait to share it with my husband and friends in the near future.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Ether Witch 2: Confronting the Crafty Concubine by Delemhach

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Synopsis:
A devil, a familiar, and magic gone wild—Tam’s life is more than a little complicated! Can he turn the chaos into triumph, or will it drag him someplace far darker?

Having narrowly escaped capture by the Zinferan army, Tam, Eli, and Luca find themselves on the run.

Their goal?

Find a way home to Daxaria.

Preferably alive!

But as Tam carries on his family legacy, he continues to land himself in a whole cauldron of hot water!

Despite discovering his familiar and beginning to embrace his magic, greater powers like corrupt covens and a villainous concubine loom over him.

Will he be able to guide his loved ones out of danger, or will he be forced to take drastic actions to end the brewing calamity?

Find out in the second volume of The Ether Witch!

Review:
“Sometimes in life, the disaster we find ourselves in aren’t our faults. But it’s still up to us to figure it out. And sometimes, the best person to save us is ourselves.” (Page 134)

Ah, to be back in with Tam! In this book, Tam really came into his own. He learned how to be assertive and speak up about his thoughts and feelings, in part because he knows he has to be an example for Luca. This book featured quite the epic journey and more hidden surprises along the way. It was also awesome seeing Eli step more into herself and find a true voice. I absolute did not expect Tamlin to go as far as he did, given his social standing, but it was definitely the right thing to do. I adore Penelope and cannot wait to see what happens with her and everyone else in the future!

There were so many unexpected characters throughout this novel that really made it more enjoyable. It has been wonderful getting to learn more about characters we’ve gotten to know and journeyed with for three trilogies. I can only hope that we will have more epic journeys with future characters after the third book in this series comes out; an ending I look forward to reading.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of A Skirl of Sorcery by Helen Harper

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Synopsis:
Death has a new address—and it’s Kit McCafferty’s.

When Kit offers a room to a powerless ban sith who has lost her magic, she sets off a chain reaction across Coldstream’s supernatural streets. Her neighbours are panicking. Dangerous werewolves are on the prowl. And Kit finds herself trying to solve several desperate problems all at once.

Kit knows the world’s a messy place, especially when magic’s involved. But this reeks of something dark and nasty. She’s paws deep – and there’s every chance that Thane, the copper-haired werewolf who stirs Kit’s heart, will become collateral damage.

Her house is full of cats, and her city is full of monsters … fortunately, Kit McCafferty is one of them.

A Skirl of Sorcery is the third book in the captivating urban fantasy crime series The Cat Lady Chronicles. Expect mystery, adventure and a posse of cats.

Review:
“We all had our demons; some were simply more obvious than others.” (Page 17)

This book was amazing! I wasn’t sure how much Thane was going to play into this novel given how close it was to the full moon, but I actually loved the way his past was tied in to the plot. It was nice seeing Kit remind herself that she is a very capable woman and she can handle things. This book also served as a great reminder that if you’re good to your neighbors/village, they will be willing to do things for you… or maybe Dave just really has grown on Kit/really owed the ban sith. Trilby made some excellent points as well, and I hope that maybe in the very far future we’ll have a series based on her since she is so unique. The ending was both perfect and so frustrating because I cannot wait to hear Tiddles name!!


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Tea & Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

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Synopsis:
A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love—and in danger—with a reclusive alchemist in an enthralling historical fantasy by the author of Salt & Broom and Grimm Curiosities.

Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?

Review:
“I may not have spent much time around other people, but I’ve read more books than I can count, and I think if there’s anything that defines us as human, it’s wanting things that we shouldn’t.” (Page 179)

Ah, this book was so intriguing! Mina and Harker have such interesting pasts and separate lives, and I loved how they managed to entwine. I really enjoyed the added touches of mysticism with Mina’s predictions and Harker’s potions. What really struck me as unique was the creature and way in which so much of this began; something so unique like the way the beast appears in Disney’s version. The familial connections gave this a very deep and different feel than the book it takes some inspiration from–Jack can be so frustrating and yet you know he’s really trying. I also quite loved Mrs. Moyle, especially her ideas such as, “Being a woman is not excuse for being uninformed.” (Page 5)

All in all, I think this is an excellent book of Romantasy, for those that like the dark and mysterious, and retellings that turn an original story upside down.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯