Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

This book was a binge read if I ever saw one! I finished this one sunny afternoon, totally drawn into the story. 

This novel is inspired by Bolivian politics and history (which is a topic I know nothing about). In reading this, we are transported to another world, one with two sides of peoples who are struggling for control of their country. There's a revolution brewing and it comes down to the main character Ximena and what choices she will make. 

Having said that, there's also magic in this story. Ximena is able to spin moonlight into thread. Other characters have gifts too that come into play throughout the book. 

Of course, what would a revolution story be without a little bit of romance. I adored that part of the story. It was just enough that it kept me on the edge of my seat rooting for them to overcome all the adversity and be together. As this is a young adult novel, the romance was not explicit or inappropriate which I greatly appreciated. 

I greatly enjoyed the world building, the mythology, the use of other languages interspersed in the story and the atmosphere the author created. The descriptions of the scenery, the colours, the food. It was a whole experience.

One of the other things I greatly enjoyed was the use of other languages in the story, sometimes without an immediate explanation of what the word meant. Some of the words are simple to figure out based on context and I liked how they were added in. I may be in the minority in this though!

This book stood out in my mind because it just felt different reading it. Sure, it has the same elements that a lot of books (especially young adult fantasy) all have, but I haven't read anything quite like it before.

While writing this review I went over to Goodreads to refresh my memory of the story. I found a lot of comments regarding the history and politics that this novel was inspired by and many of the comments were not good. While I admittedly know nothing about Bolivian politics and history, I want to note that those who are more familiar with them feel that this book draws on racial stereotypes. Some have also said the author included the mythology to fetishize the exotic qualities of the people. Many have explained that author also put the so called "good" people as the colonizers and the "bad" people were the indigenous people of Bolivia. If it was written instead about Canadians or Americans and the Indigenous people, it would have been obvious to everyone the problematic nature of the story.  

While there is a realization moment, a change of perspective, and move in the right direction in this story, for many it's not enough to cover up the damage done in the rest of the book. 

As readers, we sometimes forget that stories aren't just stories. Sometimes they are pure fiction, and other times they are inspired by pain and suffering of a race of people. I think instead of asking "was this a good story?" we might want to instead ask "was this something that should have been written?". The answer won't always be "no" but the conversation that comes with that question is an important one. 

Recommendations: I won't tell you to read this, but I won't tell you not to either. While I did enjoy the story before I was aware of problems, I urge anyone interested in this book to look into it a bit more before you decide. 

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

 

I LOVED THIS.

Elisabeth was raised as a foundling in a Great Library where books have magic, and they can come alive. As in they can turn into snarling murder monsters if they are let out. When someone releases the library's most dangerous book, Elisabeth is implicated and her only ally is a sorcerer named Nathaniel and his demon Silas. Only thing is sorcerers are the enemy. Now she needs to trust one to save herself. 

Elisabeth is one of those main characters I adore. She's fierce and she dives head first into any situation. She many not know what's going on, she may not be making the safest choices, but if she can save someone or stop something bad from happening, she's going to do it. 

Nathaniel is that guy. He's handsome, skilled, broody, and knows everything. Elisabeth has a hard time coming to terms with him actually trying to help her, and he puts up with her antics with a sigh and an eye roll. 

I adored descriptions of the work she does, cleaning and caring for the books. They breathe, they move, they feel. It's so weird but awesome. 

The other thing about this book is that it wasn't all spelled out at the beginning. Some fantasy books give you all the details and world building, complete with rules right at the start, but then the rest of the book turns everything on it's head. This one revealed things as it went, allowing for that natural experience of Elisabeth discovering things. 

Writing this review I've realized how much I really loved this book. I don't believe it's going to be a series, which sucks so much because it's just that good and I really want more about these characters. I loved so much about this book that if I keep writing, I'm going to spoil things too much and I really don't want to. 

This one is going to be re-read, that's for sure!

Recommendations: Read this. If you love fantasy, a strong female character, demons and books that come alive. If you love fantasy stories of main character self discovery and triumph of good over evil, this is for you.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

 

This book was amazing! 

I received a digital copy from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada. I was really excited to receive this one because it's a book written by a Black author featuring a Black main character. 

I started reading it closer to the release date and I was enjoying it so much I went out and bought a copy on release day! Then I realized I had barely got a third of the way through, which was wonderful, it meant I had a lot more of the story to read! 

First off we have a super smart sixteen year old who gets into a residential school program for smart kids at a college, while trying to deal with the death of her mother. Then throw in magic, Arthurian legend, queer and non-binary characters, a Black main character and it's my favourite YA read of 2020!!

This book had everything! It was an urban fantasy that gave you reality and magic in such a way I was never bored, and completely enthralled. 

The romance was pretty darn great too. Sometimes I feel like it can be an afterthought or just a bit off when it's done in fantasy books, but this one did it well!

The character exploration and background that was added in gave so much to the story. I love the way the author incorporated genealogy and ancestry into the story. That gave it another level of greatness that I looked forward to even as much as the other magic stuff. Honestly, I don't think there was a moment in this book where I got bored or felt like it was filler to get to the main story. 

Then there was the ending!! Suffice to say I need the second book. As soon as it's released, I will have it in my hands. There isn't even a title for it yet, or a release year even. Still, I need it!! 

This will be a book I will happily re-read when the next comes out so I can experience it all again. 

Recommendations: For those who like urban fantasy, King Arthur and Merlin, and different magical systems, this is for you. 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This book was totally not what I expected but completely something I needed.

I discovered Holly Black's writing with the book a while back when I picked up The Darkest Part for the Forest. At the end of that book was a preview of this one, and I actually ready the preview of this book before reading The Darkest Part of the Forest.

Right from the first few pages I was hooked. Holly Black's writing is something I've not experienced anywhere else. She gives you these regular characters with such real lives that when she introduces the fantasy elements, it's like an extra treat.

For some reason when I read the excerpt of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I didn't really grasp what it was about, so when I really got into this book, I was surprised. I had no idea what the monsters were in this book and it threw me for a loop at first. I don't even want to tell you in my review since finding out while reading was half the fun.

I adored this book and will continue to read Holly Black's other novels because they are exactly what I am looking for in monster urban fantasy twisted goodness.

Recommendations: For the lovers of urban fantasy and monsters. This is for you. Go in for the ride and you'll be happily impressed.

Kill The Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne

Kill The Farm Boy is an adult fantasy novel that is also 100% comedy.

The idea behind this book was to turn a typical fantasy on its head. There's always a farm boy who becomes the chosen one and with a band of characters to help him along, he saves the kingdom and becomes king. This is not that story.

Let's start by talking about some of the main characters: there's an assassin who is afraid of chickens, a warrior woman in a chain mail bikini, a necromancer who is called the Dread Necromancer Steve who has a thing for cheese, a talking goat and (as the synopsis says) a bard with a fuzzy tail.

The story itself was pure gold. There's innuendos and comical scenes. The characters were hilarious and perfect for the story. The world is rich and interesting, with many layers like a typical fantasy. It's lighthearted and laugh out loud funny while still having a plot and a goal in sight.

I did find myself getting upset at a certain choice in the book, but it's a personal preference thing that has nothing to do about the story or how good the book is. I won't say more but I feel like if you were to read this book you'd know what I'm talking about and will want to vent about it too!

Kill The Farm Boy is the first in the series called The Tales of Pell and both the second book (No Country for Old Gnomes) and the third book (The Princess Beard) have already been released!! I found this series at the bookstore because of the second book in the series. I spied No Country for Old Gnomes first and realized there was another book in the series and I should probably start at the beginning!

All that to say I enjoyed this book and will most likely be reading the rest of the series at some point next year!

Recommendation: For the lovers of fantasy, those who love humour, and can be light hearted and less serious about life and fantasy stories in general.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I am a huge fan of Victoria Schwab (or V.E. Schwab as she's also known by) and I am so on board for anything she writes. This one was no different.

City of Ghosts is a middle grade paranormal novel. It's about a girl named Cass that can pull back the Veil and see the dead. Her parents are ghost hunters doing a tv show about haunted places and she must go along with them. Her best friend is a boy who might just happen to be a ghost himself. during the trip to Scotland, Cass meets a girl who can do what she can and there's a lot more about the Veil that Cass doesn't know.

It's spooky. There's ghosts a plenty. The atmosphere was alluring and I was totally absorbed right from the start. It's the details that Victoria Schwab adds into her stories that make them such wonderful things.

This book totally delivered the adventure that I was looking for, and it gave me all the creepy ghosts I could ask for in a great way. It might only be middle grade, but it wasn't hard to jump in the story and follow Cass (who's only 12) go across the Veil and walk through so seriously creepy (but totally interesting) places in Scotland!

My only complaint was that I wanted more. I always want more when I'm loving something so there's no surprise there really, but since it was a middle grade, it makes sense it was a little bit more simplistic than an adult book.

City of Ghosts is the first book in the series. The second one is already out and it's called Tunnel of Bones. I can't wait to get my hands on it and keep going with the story!

Recommendations: For the lovers of ghost stories, paranormal stories, author Victoria Schwab, and those who love being a little creeped out in their reads!

Into the Dim series by Janet B. Taylor

There are two books in this series and both have been out for a while. Book one is Into the Dim and book two is Sparks of Light. I did see there was mention of a third one on Goodreads (which I so hope is true) but I'm not sure if it's going to happen.

I came across this series by accident at the bookstore. I was looking for another author and the first book Into the Dim caught my eye, and I picked it up. 

The series starts with Hope Watson. She's a teenager who has lost her mother to an earth quake and goes to Scotland for the summer to stay with her mother's family. Turns out that her mother and her mother's family are time travellers and it's going to be up to Hope to go back in time to rescue her mother who isn't dead, just in another time. 

First off, the detail and the time traveling aspects of this series is fascinating! I loved the twists and turns in these books and I couldn't put them down! I was worried and excited about what was going to happen. 

The first book was my favourite of the two, but I still really enjoyed the second book. I really fell for all the characters and I thought the romance aspect of the books to be seen and lovely. 

I had to go back to the bookstore right after I finished the first book to get the second one because I needed to keep the story going. 

This series has villains, family, courage, love, time travel, history, and more all beyond my wildest dreams. This series felt new and interesting to me in ways I haven't seen often. 

What really surprised me was that I hadn't seen any of these books on bookstagram. No mention of them, no one really talking about them. For an awesome series about time travel and history, I would have thought otherwise. 

The second book was great, but I did find myself becoming a little confused in the middle. It looked like the story was going in one direction but then went in a total different direction which I felt was jarring, but I ended up enjoying the outcome. You do have to read the first one before this one though. I don't think it would have been easy to follow the tangent of the story without having read the first one before this one. 

Both of these books kept me glued to the page, and I really wish the third one would become reality. This really was a stellar series. 

Recommendation: Read this if you love time travel, historical fiction, the weak growing strong and kicking butt. 

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Okay, this book was partially a cover buy and partially because when it was released it was all over the internet and the storyline just begged to be read.

For those of you who don't know it's about a girl, a boy, and a prince. Together they have to work together to assassinate a king and stop a war. The girl can speak to the Gods, the boy has a pretty monstrous secret and the prince has a lot to learn about who to trust. It's got romance, gothic feels, and its the type of fantasy that I love with plenty of magical things going on.

Right off the bat you get thrown into the action. There's a war going on and don't you know it!

The magical element was really different too, and I totally loved it. Having a story about a girl (and culture) of people who, when chosen, can speak to the Gods and use their abilities was pretty seriously great. The other magical element of having people who use their blood to activate spells they tear out of books they wear on their waist was so neat!

This was fast read for me, partially because I was totally absorbed in the story, and partially because it's wasn't an overly complicated read.

The writing in this book was something really great. The way the author wrote the characters, it was like you knew them immediately and you developed feelings about them so fast that when something happened, you could really feel for the characters. This was especially apparent with the villains. One second you feel one way and then it's call different! I won't say more, you'll just have to read the book!

The story was so built up that I was in a hurry for the ending because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. This meant that the ending didn't quite satisfy me. I've since learned this will be part of a trilogy, so it makes sense the ending I was after didn't quite happen yet.

It's also possible I'm missing something in the ending because I read it so quickly. I think I might need to revisit it, especially before I read the next one when it come out. I will admit that when it was over I felt like I was missing something.

Overall, I really liked this book! It was an interesting and different gothic fantasy young adult read and I enjoyed it! I will definitely read the rest of the series when it comes out.

Recommendations: For fantasy lovers who love a good magic system, gothic elements, and interesting villains!

Roar by Cora Carmack

I loved this book!

If you're not familiar with this book, it's a young adult fantasy featuring a princess who's kingdom is in trouble, storm magic, princes, hunters, and a quest to save the world.

The writing in this book was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this story.

We meet a princess by the name of Aurora who's about to marry a prince she's never met so she can hide the fact that she doesn't possess the storm magic that her family was born with. Her kingdom would suffer from the ravages of storms because she would be powerless to help, and she would be in major trouble if anyone found out. Marrying a prince who does have storm magic would cover it all up and both she and her kingdom would be safe.

She's almost fully resigned to her fate when she finds out that there are regular people in the world who weren't born with storm magic either, but now have it. There's another way to get storm magic and perhaps she can too, and won't have to marry that prince, or fall into ruin if she's found out.

I won't go into any more details because I don't want to spoil the story, but the rest of the book is her chasing that possibility.

I did think, going into this, that it might be like a lot of other books of this type (which I totally love) but it was more than that. It had a lot of the same bits and pieces from other YA fantasy featuring princesses and magic, but it was put together in a new way. This book was really refreshing that way.

There's romance, there's character growth, there's sub plots, and side stories. There's a lot of meat in this book, and I am digging it!!

There will be a second book very soon that follows this one and I CANNOT WAIT! I need to know what happens!!

Recommendation: For the YA fantasy lovers, for those who like a little love with their adventures, for those who love strong female characters coming into their own, this is for you!

Slayer by Kiersten White

This book just came out recently and I am so happy its out in the world! I had requested this book on Netgalley and I was quite happy that I was able to read it last year!! I used to watch Buffy on TV as a teen, and since then I've renewed my interest in it.

This book is about The Watchers, the ones who are left, and the last Slayer to exist after Buffy. Basically things are in shambles due to what Buffy did (which since I haven't watched the whole show I have no real frame of reference for) and it follows the lives of Nina and her twin sister Artemis who grew up at the Watchers Academy. There are only a small number of Watchers left, and they are focused on being ready when needed for any future Slayers.

Nina gets quite a shock when she discovers she's the last Slayer. Ever.

There's demons, monsters, all the baddies from this world you could think of. There's betrayal, secrets, and anger. It's one heck of a journey.

I read this all at once and I liked it. There were moments where I was wondering why bits were necessary, but I think perhaps there's a larger story at work here and as the series goes, more will be known.

Slayer was well written. I was glued to the page and had to finish it in one sitting! It's just one of those engrossing reads that pulls you out of your everyday life and throws you into an adventure to the point where you forget your troubles. 

I'm happy to have read gotten the opportunity to read this before it was released. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was quite good!

Since I've only just begun to re-watch all of Buffy, I am looking forward to needing to re-read this novel again once I'm finished, and to follow along with the series!

Recommendation: For the lovers of Buffy and vampire/creature type stories. For the lovers of books about finding out who you are and those who just love one heck of an adventure

I Like Big Books

Towards the end of last year I found myself drawn to the fantasy section at the bookstore and to the thick mass market paperbacks that live there. 

Before picking up The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, I didn't know anything about the Wheel of Time series, or that it even existed. What happened was I picked up one of the huge books on the shelf, saw on the back there were 14 books in the series, and I was hooked. The blurb on the back was a total non-blurb, just a sentence about the Wheel of Time. The cover art was gorgeous and detailed, and there was no way I was leaving without that first book. There were 14 in this series. That was a whole lot of amazingness that I needed in my life. 

Funnily enough, after never having seen these books before in my life, I started seeing little mentions of The Eye of the World on bookstagram, along with mention of the rest of the series. 

So far I am about 250 pages into the book and I am loving it. Having been a fan of fantasy since being a child reading Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall of Pern and David Eddings books that were on my Mom's bookshelf, it was great to come across another series of such greatness. I'm really not sure why I hadn't read anything by Robert Jordan before. 

Since buying the first book, I was finding myself just staring at it. I loved the feel of the book, the weight in my hand, how it looked on my shelf. It was massive as far as I was concerned, and I couldn't wait to devour it. I carried it around with my in my purse when I left the house, knowing I probably wasn't going to get to read it, but I didn't care. It just made me happy. 

I've sense bought the second and third one, and I received a box set of the 4th, 5th, and 6th books from my fiancee this past Christmas. 

Problem was, I had a book goal to get to last year, and The Eye of the World was such a big book. I kept putting it down in favour of faster reads, even though I've been enjoying it. I just couldn't devote the time to it because I needed to reach my goal. Spoiler alert: I didn't even reach my goal last year. 

I was also not familiar with the work of Brandon Sanderson, although I had heard of him before now. I found the first two books in The Stormlight Archive in mass market paper back size and I am in love. I haven't started reading them, but seeing them on my shelf makes me incredibly happy. 

2019 is the year of the big books, the books I want to read, and no big reading goals. I am just going to have fun with things and read what I want, which lately happens to be fantasy! 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

This was a bit of a cover buy, but that the same time, it was more because of another book by the same author called Tess of the Road. That was the book that kept drawing my attention over and over again at the bookstore, but when I did a little research, I learned that Tess of the Road had to do with the world created in another series, with Seraphina as the first book.

This is a young adult fantasy book. I read this one pretty quickly, all in one sitting. It dragged me in and kept me reading, although I ended up with some mixed feelings at the end.

This book is about a girl who lives in a world with dragons who just so happen to be able to take on a human like form. There has been a treaty for 40 years, and right when she beings to work for royalty with her music, there is a murder and she gets drawn into the investigation.

The dragons in this book are pretty interesting. I really liked them. The idea they are a mathematically, thoughtful species was really cool. I loved them and the dynamic in this book.

It's very medieval fantasy, and it's pretty good. I liked so much about it, but there's another part to the story that I was very interested in, but I'm not sure how it stuck in the story. I think I do need to read the next one in the series because I'd like to know more, and see if those parts reoccur.

The only thing was, I was left feeling a little bit like something was missing. I'm not sure what, exactly, but the detailing and the world building was so interesting that perhaps it was over too soon. I've taken quite a while to write this review because I wanted to think about the book some more. So much about it was great. Truly. There was just something that didn't feel complete, or like I didn't get what I was looking for out of the story.

Honestly, though, I enjoyed this and I think if you like YA Fantasy, you'll like it too!

Recommendation: For the lovers of fantasy, dragons, YA reads, interesting stories, then this is a book for you.

Carmer and Grit by Sarah Jean Horwitz

I came across this book at the bookstore and it was partially a cover buy. How could you not, though?  This cover is gorgeous!

The story is about two different characters. One is an aspiring inventor and magician who goes by Carmer who is trying to help his mentor win a big competition. The other is a faerie princess who goes by Grit. She's been investigating the mysterious disappearances of faeries, and the two team up to help each other out. Grit uses her magic to help  Carmer and his mentor's act and Carmer helps Grit searching the city for the truth of the missing faeries. 

This fantasy story is in a steampunk world full of faerie magic. It's a middle grade novel, but it's not without the action and drama that you might often find in YA or even adult novels. 

Carmer and Grit was easy to read, and didn't really feel that much like a middle grade book. It felt longer and a little bit more detailed than I guess I expected a middle grade read to be. It's been a little while since I've read a middle grade book, so I was quite happy with this one. 

I do like the details in the story, especially details about the world of faerie that I've read about since childhood. There was intensity in the drama that I really appreciated as well.

Parts of this story felt a little on the slow side, but overall, it was a good read. There is a second book in this series that I might need to get my hands on too. I appreciate the fact it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but more of a nod to further adventures. 

Recommendations: For the readers of faerie, for the lovers of faerie, for the lovers of a good story with steampunk features: this is for you. 

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Like a lot of pretty cool books, I didn't know about this one until the second one was coming out. At this point, I've only gotten my hands on this one so far, but I really do intend to read the next one when I can grab it in paperback!

First off, there's pirates. Female ones. There's treachery, lying, betrayal, backstabbing, and all the great swashbuckling goodness that comes with stories about pirates. There are sirens, magic, and not so terrible enemies. It's quite an adventure.

I love a great pirate/mermaid story so I was not at all disappointed in this one at all. I thought it was great.

It was an easy read, but it kept me wanting more. I remember reading it fairly quickly, and loving it.

There are not a lot of books that I often think I'll go back and read again, but I think I might actually do that with this one before I read the second one. The writing style was fantastic and really drew you into what you were reading, and experiencing "life" as Alosa was a lot of fun.

There's romance, there's humor, and
just a whole lot of excitement to be found in this book. Like a lot of YA fantasy type books it's easy to forget the ages of the characters so even though the main character is supposed to be 17, it didn't feel like that.

Basically, if you enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or other pirate books and movies, you'll enjoy this lighter hearted, but still intense read about pirates and sirens who aren't always what they seem.

Recommendation: For fantasy lovers, for pirate lovers, for those who like to read about sirens and mermaids. This one is for you!

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

This series in a word: AH-MAZE-ING

Every single moment of these books kept me glued to the page. I was totally along for the journey, no questions asked. I was all in.

I feel like I was one of the last to this book party when I finally picked these up, but I am so very happy that I did.

This series is about a girl named Alina. It's set in a universe with Russian feels (that I adored). It involves magic, the people who wield this power, the pursuit to defeat evil and restore the good to save the people.

Yes, it sounds like the basic fantasy type of story, but I assure you, it is not. Nothing is quite what it seems, things aren't clear cut and rosy, it's not the usual.

I'm not going into the actual story too much (as always) because I don't want to spoil anything, but I will mention that I was pleasantly surprised what this series had to offer being that it was YA. This series was one of the biggest reasons why I'm reading more YA.

I know there's so much love for this series on bookstagram and it kind of surprised me that there were so many long and heartfelt reviews about (at least the first book) people hating it. They say that the romance was terrible, that Alina was hard to get behind, that the world building wasn't great, but really? Like, what?

Usually, I don't enjoy a whole lot of romance either but it wasn't that much, and it didn't bother me in this series because it wasn't really the main focal point. I think a lot would have been missed without it.

Alina was flawed. Everyone was flawed. Everyone is flawed.

The world building was epic. End of story. The Russian feel of it was so neat. I really enjoyed it.

I currently own all the books Leigh Bardugo has got out in the bookstore right now and even though these are the only ones I've read so far, I am on board with her for life.

Recommendation: Read these. Also these editions are GORGEOUS so what are you waiting for? For the lover of fantasy. Just, read them!

Prudence by Gail Carriger

Hopefully you'll already be acquainted with Gail Carriger's other series The Parasol Protectorate series, but if you haven't been yet, that's okay though you should rectify that as soon as possible. I'll be posting my thoughts on that series very soon as I just realized I had not yet talked about it on here!

That series and this one are both set back in the day when women still wore bustles, sent out cards before going visiting, and when there were rules to appearing in society. This one also features a few supernatural creatures of the werewolf and vampire variety.

This book is about a young woman named Prudence. She is given a dirigible and is sent off to India in pursuit of a new, delicious kind of tea. She assembles a crew and off they go. She stumbles onto some very interesting events and ends up involving herself in dire situations to sort it all out.

The thing about this is Prudence is the daughter of the main character in The Parasol Protectorate series, but it's not fully required of you to read the other series first (thought I recommend that you do).

The author's writing was wonderful, as usual. I found myself laughing out loud at times, enjoying myself immensely. It's quite the steampunk, supernatural, polite society read.

Beyond that, though, I had some problems. First, there are reoccurring characters from the other series. However, they felt weird to me in this series. Like I couldn't really wrap my head around the fact that I was reading about the same characters at some points.

There was also so veiled allusion to happenings from the previous series that kind of passed over my head, like I should know to what she was referring, but I wasn't sure that I did.

Overall, this book was good, but it wasn't the wonderful, amazing thing for me that the first series was. For what it was, it was a great story. I almost wish the author created a totally new person in the same world without bringing back in the other characters and then wrote this story, because I think I could have fallen in love with it then.

Recommendation: If you've read the other series, still read this. You might love it more than I did. If you love steampunk supernatural stories with tea drinking society women in fancy dress, you'll enjoy this.

July Wrap Up!

July was a busy month. In fact, the last few months have been pretty darn busy for me. My reading is suffering a little, but I'm not giving up! 

One of the things I think that really help are readathons! I can knock out two books in a weekend if I make it my goal to read for however many hours in two days. I think I might do my own little mini readathons more often! After all, to stay on track of reading 75 books this year, I need to be reading two a week (according to Goodreads!). 

On to the month of July: I read three books and two ebooks! 

It was funny, I went to do my wrap up the morning of July 31st but when I realized that I'd only read four books in total, I didn't feel like that was enough. Instead, I went and read another book! If only I could get myself to do that more often, I would have reached my goal for the year months ago!

The Dire King by William Ritter. 🌟🌟🌟

Brownies and Betrayal by Heather Justesen 🌟🌟🌟

The Beau & The Belle by R. S. Grey 🌟🌟🌟

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomson 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 🌟🌟🌟.5

My review that includes The Dire King can be found here. As for the rest of the books, my reviews for them will be popping up soon (I hope!) 

I think for the month of August I want to shoot for 6 books read (hopefully more like 12 but let's start small!) 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I'm actually really surprised that I haven't posted my review for this book yet! The next one is already out and I haven't yet got my hands on it, but I hope to fix that soon!

For those of you who haven't grabbed this one up yet, it's a little like Alice in Wonderland if it was written for a more grown up audience, full of intrigue and secrets, with a little bit of real life pain and romance thrown in.

It was so clear that we don't actually know everything even though it was perhaps supposed to feel like we did. We are told things aren't like they should be, but do we listen? I found myself thinking logically and getting totally surprised (which I love). There's so much more waiting under the surface of this story that needs to be unveiled. I am so glad there's a second one because by the end of this, I had so many questions and I need to know more!

There were moments that felt a little long though, mostly about how long it took the main character to actually get things together and find her own power within herself, but once she did, it was great. Totally a book you need to go into with the goal of finishing it because it's really worth it.

The ending was not what I was expecting, but because so much of the nature of Caraval is not what it seems, there's no real way you can go into this book expecting anything. You just have to be ready to go for a ride and take it how it comes. That being said, even though the end wasn't what I was expecting, it was still really neat.

I think it was really well written, it accomplished all it set out to do and its totally worth a read!

Recommendation: Read this. It's different and weird and cool all at the same time. For fantasy readers, the ones who like everything to be a bit weird and secretive, for those who just want to be swept away for a little while.

The Jackaby Series by William Ritter

This series was a total cover buy from Book Outlet a while back. I feel like I knew about this series but forgot about it along the way. The covers though, are just so cool.

The series is the Jackaby series, but it's told from the point of view of his new protege Abigail Rook. Abigail Rook is a girl just looking for adventure in 1892. She travels around the world and crosses paths with a man who goes by R. F. Jackaby, completely by accident shortly after she arrives. She's looking for work to fund her new life and he's got a job on offer.


Jackaby is a private detective that solves cases that involve the supernatural. Jackaby is like a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Newt Scamander. There's ghosts, trolls, fairies, shape shifters, and everything else you can imagine. He's as awkward and strange as Sherlock, if Sherlock could see all manners of the supernatural.
This series follows a pattern of events that all coalesce into the fourth novel with the need to stop the mastermind that's been behind what's been going on in the town of New Fiddleham. They cross down into the underworld to help a very dear friend who happens to be a ghost, attend a dig and stop a dragon. All good and wonderful things. Of course,  the culmination is the usual save the world type of mission, but who doesn't love that.

There's a whole big cast of interesting creatures and people who show up and help Jackaby and Abigail stop the danger from getting out of control that appear throughout the series. There's a little bit of romance, a little bit of dealing with a broken heart, and the whole third floor of their building looks like a local park complete with a water feature and a resident duck.

I enjoyed this series. It was easy to read, interesting and kept me coming back for more. It's a young adult series, but it didn't feel like I was reading a young adult book, which I always love.

I gave the first three books 4 stars, but I only gave the last one 3. It was the ending. It was a good ending but everything got flipped on it's side and then it just ends. Like it was a good ending, but there's so much more room for more now and it kills me that the series ends here. Well, as far as I know it's done. If it somehow turns out not to be done I will be overjoyed. The author just put a whole bunch of really cool things in motion in the last like 10 pages of the series and then it's just over. I want more! Still good though!

Recommendation: For fans of Sherlock and Fantastic Beasts. If you like supernatural things and mysteries, you'll love these!

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

I think this is the book I've heard a lot of terrible things about it in relation to things I'm not going to discuss in detail, but I don't think all that noise was necessary. This book echoed themes of this world and showed a person breaking through her prejudices and seeing the light which was more than okay with me. Moving on.

This book is about a girl named Elloren Gardner. She is the granddaughter of the last Black Witch and although she looks exactly like her, she doesn't possess the same power. Elloren gets permission to enter university and study to be an apothecary instead of being married off to some nobleman like her grandmother wants. Things are never quite that simple, and being related to the last Black Witch does not make her life easy.

There's so much going on in this book that any explanation of the plot from me would give spoilers and ruin it so if you still want to know more, please check it out.

It's a YA fantasy at it's best. The different characters and the world is pretty interesting. The character development in this book I think is really amazing.

In fact, this book grabbed my attention to the point where I was reading it when I wasn't alone, kind of ignoring my fiancee in order to read this, while stopping every so often to tell him everything about it I could. I don't often do that, but with this one I did.

I originally read this as an ebook, but I am going to be buying myself a physical copy. This book was so much more than I thought it was because I was listening to some of the reviews out there. Case is point that you shouldn't believe everything you read, and when I had a chance to get it as an ebook, I grabbed it and I am so glad I was able to figure things out for myself.

After all, isn't that what we are supposed to be doing anyway? Figuring things out for ourselves and not listening to the opinions of others and developing prejudice and bias towards things that we really shouldn't be.

Anyway, don't let the rest of the world deter you from reading this. I really loved it. I am so ready for the next book. And I'm happy about waiting because I am relishing getting myself a physical copy this one and rereading it just before the next one comes out.

Recommendation: For the lovers of fantasy who like stories about those who rise above and break out  and strive to fight for the good.