Author: tamaramorning

Book Review: Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno    

Image courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books.

Title: Persephone’s Curse
Author: Katrina Leno           
Genre: YA    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 

Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she’s right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their Manhattan brownstone —a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.

When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other.

I really enjoyed this! The setting is, in general, quite small and contained, but the characters are so vivid and distinct, it never felt constricted. I love the relationship between the sisters, and their family mythology is fascinating. I enjoyed every single page of this read.

Katrina Leno lives in L.A. Persephone’s Curse is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in November (2025)

In November, I read 15 books, bringing my total for the year to 213 books read. Of those, three of them were excellent reads.

Hell Bent, by Devon Monk. This is the first book in a spinoff series to the Allie Beckstrom series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Shamus from the original series, so I loved getting to spend so much time in his head.

The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle. This is the second book in a series–and I haven’t read the first book-but I loved it from the first page! So much action and banter and sarcasm, and the world was well-drawn and intriguing. Can’t wait to read more!

Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno. This had a very small setting–most of the book took place inside a single house–but it felt like a truly expansive read. The sisters were each such vivid characters, and I loved getting to know the entire family.

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Library of Fates, by Margot Harrison  

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House.

Title: The Library of Fates
Author: Margot Harrison           
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 3.5 out of 4

When its librarian keeper mysteriously dies, two former classmates must race to locate a rare book from their college years that can foretell your future if you confess a secret from your past—but someone is intent on protecting what’s hidden inside…

The Library of Fates was designed to show you who you are—and who you could become. Its rarest book, The Book of Dark Nights, holds a when you write an intimate confession on its pages, you’ll receive a prediction for your future, penned in your own handwriting.

For Eleanor, whose childhood was defined by a senseless tragedy, the library offers a world where everything makes sense. She’s spent most of her life there as an apprentice to the brilliant librarian, showing other people how to find the meaning of their lives in stories.

But when her mentor dies in a freak accident and The Book of Dark Nights goes missing—along with the secrets written inside—Eleanor is pulled out of the library and into a quest to locate it with the last person she the librarian’s estranged son, Daniel, who Eleanor once loved before he suddenly ran off to Europe decades ago.

Together, as they hunt down clues from Harvard to Paris, Eleanor and Daniel grow closer again, regaining each other’s trust. But little do they know that they’re entangled in a much larger web. Someone else wants the book, and they may be willing to kill to get it…

Parts of this were fascinating, and parts of it felt very pretentious. I can’t decide if I like Eleanor—or Daniel—or not. The past characters, not really, as they’re typical selfish, oblivious teenagers. Them in the present kind of got on my nerves, too. The Book of Dark Nights is an interesting concept, if you can get past the witchcraft behind it, and the ability to choose the perfect book for someone at a particular moment is beyond cool, but on the whole, this felt more lit fic than anything, and I never connect well with literary fiction.

Margot Harrison lives in Vermont. The Library of Fates is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review and Blog Tour: Dawn of the Firebird, by Sarah Mughal Rana

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press.

Title: Dawn of the Firebird
Author: Sarah Mughal Rana             
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating: DNF 

Khamilla Zahr-zad’s life has been built on a foundation of violence and vengeance. Every home she’s known has been destroyed by war. As the daughter of an emperor’s clan, she spent her childhood training to maintain his throne. But when her clansmen are assassinated by another rival empire, plans change. With her heavenly magic of nur, Khamilla is a weapon even enemies would wield—especially those in the magical, scholarly city of Za’skar. Hiding her identity, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic and martial arts, risking it all to topple her adversaries, avenge her clan and reclaim their throne.

To survive, she studies under cutthroat mystic monks and battles in a series of contests to outmaneuver her fellow soldiers. She must win at all costs, even if it means embracing the darkness lurking inside her. But the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible vengeance or salvation.

I didn’t get very far in this. The writing itself was fine, but the story felt like a chaotic, jumbled mess—and one with a distant POV. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Sarah Mughal Rana is a student at Oxford. Dawn of the Firebird is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)

    

Book Review and Blog Tour: No One Aboard, by Emy McGuire  

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House.

Title: No One Aboard
Author: Emy McGuire      
Genre: Thriller   
Rating: 3 out of 5

At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children.

Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida.

Empty.

Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold?

I should not have finished reading this. Not because the writing was bad—it wasn’t. The writing was solid, with strong descriptions and a believable narrative, but the characters were terrible people. All of them, except maybe Jerry, the fisherman who finds the empty sailboat. The Camerons, all four of them, are all pretty terrible people, and the people they surround themselves with are no better. There’s no reliable narrator here, and no one to root for, so this just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Emy McGuire was raised in Colorado. No One Aboard is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

What I Read in November (2025)

Books Read in November: 15
Books Read for the Year: 212/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman (audio): This was a surprisingly entertaining read. I’m already listening to the second book.
Always You and Me, by Dani Atkins (TBR): This was a solid read—until the ending.
Hell Bent, by Devon Monk (Re-read): Enjoyed this spin-off.
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel (Spiritual/re-read): Very informative read.
The House of Lost Secrets, by Anstey Harris )TBR): This was a good read.
Hot Mess Summer, by Melissa Harris Foster (TBR): This was definitely a light and fluffy read–with no surprises.
The Lost Letters of Aisling, by Cynthia Ellingsen (TBR): Really enjoyed this read!

For Review:

Persephone’s Curse, by Katrina Leno. This was an excellent read! Very small setting–which totally worked for this story–and some great characters.

The Italian Secret, by Tara Moss. For me, this wasn’t that great a read. It felt predictable and the MC was more of a caricature than anything.

The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle. I had not read the first book in this series, but I highly enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more. So much snark!

The Library of Fates, by Margot Harrison. I’m on the fence with this read. I’m not 100% sure I even liked it.

No One Aboard, by Emy McGuire. If you like books about unlikable characters, this is one for you. I do not like books about unlikable characters, but I finished this because the writing was so solid.

The Time Hop Coffee Shop, by Phaedra Patrick. This was a sweet read–just a happy read. A touch of magical realism–okay, and far too much talk of coffee for this tea-lover–but a very cute read.

Wildwood, by Amy Pease. This sophomore book in this series was a solid thriller read with a vivid yet dark setting.

Just Because:

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, by Matt Dinniman (audio). I cannot believe I’m enjoying this as much as I am, being not a video game person.

Left Unfinished:
Bad Reputation, by Emma Barry. This was just so superficial, I couldn’t keep reading. I like to get to know the characters, and this was just repetitive, with no depth.

Dawn of the Firebird, by Sarah Mughal Rana. I didn’t get very far in this. The writing itself was fine, but the story felt like a chaotic, jumbled mess—and one with a distant POV. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.

How to Grieve Like a Victorian, by Amy Carol Reeves. I didn’t make it too far in this. Lizzie’s decision to make everyone around her conform to what she believes is right felt absurd and pretentious—and is a picture of what’s wrong in society. Her pretension got on my very last nerve—as did her kissing her husband’s best friend a month after her husband died unexpectedly and then fluttering around like a trapped moth, making a show of her reaction…but not actually caring. I had no desire to read any more about a person like that.

Sundays are for Writing #347

This was a good writing—and reading—week. I wrote three book reviews: No One Aboard, by Emy McGuire, The Time Hop Coffee Shop, by Phaedra Patrick, and Wildwood, by Amy Pease. I also did a tiny bit of prep work for some fiction…for the first time all year.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Memory Gardener, by Meg Donohue   

Image belongs to Gallery Books.

Title: The Memory Gardener
Author: Meg Donohue    
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating: 5 out of 5 

Lucy Barnes has an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among the flowers she grows will return a person to a long-forgotten memory, a key from their past that has the potential to change their future. When she takes a position as the gardener at a somber, colorless assisted-living home, the evocatively scented flowers that she grows awaken not only the home’s gardens, but the entire community, stirring new pleasures and unearthing long-buried secrets within all who venture through the gardens’ gates.

But when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the newly close-knit community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful … or are some memories better left buried?

I loved this read! All of it. The hints of magic and romance, the characters, the depiction of the residents of Oceanview Home, the gardens… This was a magical read, and I wanted to explore each of these gardens with Lucy and Gully. This is a very well-done magical realism novel, and it drew me in from the first page. Loved this!

Meg Donohue is a bestselling author. The Memory Gardener is her newest novel

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Sundays are for Writing #346

This was an okay writing week: I wrote two book reviews, both for blog tours: Dawn of the Firebird, by Sarah Mughal Rana (DNF) and The Library of Fates, by Margot Harrison (an okay read). Hopefully I’ll get more writing done next week.

Happy writing!

Book Review: Evil Bones, by Kathy Reichs

Image belongs to Scribner.

Title: Evil Bones
Author: Kathy Reichs
Genre: Mystery/thriller  
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Small creatures—a rat, a rabbit, a squirrel—have been turning up throughout Charlotte, North Carolina, mutilated and displayed in the same bizarre manner. But one day, as Tempe is relaxing at home alongside her aimless, moody great-niece Tory, she’s diverted by a disturbing call. Now, it seems, the perp is upping the ante. This find is larger. Could the remains be human?

Tempe visits the scene and discovers that the victim is a dog. Someone’s pet. As one who has always found animal cruelty deeply abhorrent, Tempe vows to help apprehend the person responsible for the killings, and due to Tory’s especially layered knowledge of animal behavior, the young woman turns out to be a valuable ally in the hunt for answers. Oddly, Tempe discovers that semi-retired homicide detective Erskine “Skinny” Slidell is equally outraged and committed. Needing a better understanding of possible motives, Tempe and Skinny seek input from a forensic psychologist. The doctor has no definitive answer but offers several possibilities, warning that the escalating pattern of aggression suggests even more macabre discoveries—and that the perp’s focus may soon shift to humans.

And then it happens. A woman is found disfigured and posed in a manner that mimics the earlier killings.

As Tempe and Slidell follow the horrifying clues to a shocking conclusion, they’re forced to confront an increasingly terrifying question: “What is pure evil?”

I like this series, but the ending of this one felt a bit rushed, like it glossed over some events. I also could not understand why Tempe kept running around on her own when she knew she had a stalker, more or less, who had (probably) attacked her. Made her seem…not so smart.

Kathy Reichs is a bestselling author. Evil Bones is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Scribner in exchange for an honest review.)