Category: books

Book Review: The Geomagician, by Jennifer Mandula   

Image belongs to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey.

Title: The Geomagician
Author: Jennifer Mandula        
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Mary Anning wants to be a geomagician—a paleontologist who uses fossils to wield magic—but since the Geomagical Society of London refuses to admit women, she’s stuck selling her discoveries to tourists instead. When an ancient egg hatches in her hands, revealing a loveable baby pterodactyl Mary names Ajax, she knows this is the kind of scientific find that could make her career—if she’s strategic.

Mary contacts the Society about her discovery, and they demand to take possession of Ajax. Their emissary is none other than Henry Stanton, a distinguished (and infuriatingly handsome) scholar… and the man who once broke Mary’s heart.

Henry claims he believes in the brilliant Mary, and that he only wants to help her obtain the respect she deserves. She knows she can’t trust her fellow scholars, who want to discredit her and claim Ajax for their own—but can she even trust Henry, who seems intent on winning Mary back?

Now Mary has a new mystery to solve that’s buried deeper than any dinosaur She must uncover the secrets behind the Society and the truth about Henry. As her conscience begins to chafe against her ambition, Mary must decide what lengths she’s willing to go to finally belong—and what her heart really wants.

I enjoyed this a lot! The world this is set in has a lot of problems, but it was an interesting setting. And Ajax was absolutely adorable! I was intrigued with this story from the very beginning, and I like Mary a lot. I think I enjoyed her interior monologue the most, questioning herself and her actions in real time.

Jennifer Mandula lives in Ohia. Her debut historical fantasy is The Geomagician.

(Galley courtesy of Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #364

This was a solid writing week! I wrote 1k of fiction, and three book reviews; The Geomagician, by Jennifer Mandula, Burn the Kingdom Down, by Addie Thorley, and Honey in Her Veins, by Ruth McKell. (These were three wildly different fantasy reads, and I thoroughly enjoyed all three.)

Happy writing!

Book Review: Daughter of Egypt, by Marie Benedict

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Daughter of Egypt
Author: Marie Benedict             
Genre: Historical Fiction  
Rating: 4 out of 5

1920’s London was enthralled by the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Filled with priceless statues, jewels, and the gold-encased mummy of the boy Pharaoh himself, the burial site unleashed a fascination with the ancient world and revolutionized the world of archeology.

The discovery was made by Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle and his associate, famed archeologist Howard Carter. What no one knows is that without the pioneering spirit of Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carnarvon’s daughter, the tomb might never have been found. As a young woman, Evelyn was fascinated by the story of Hatshepsut, a woman who had to assume the guise of a man in order to rule Egypt. Although she brought peace and prosperity to Egypt, her male successors ruthlessly and thoroughly erased her name from history.

Lady Evelyn’s ambition to find the tomb of Egypt’s first woman ruler exposes her to life-threatening danger and pits her against archeologists who refuse to believe the tomb can be found―and certainly not by a woman. Refusing to give up, Evelyn is on the verge of success when she is suddenly forced to make an agonizing choice between loyalty to her beloved father and Carter and realizing the dream of a lifetime.

I saw the King Tut exhibit several years ago and Egyptian history has always fascinated me, so I was intrigued by this novel. I liked Evelyn, but I did not like the rest of her family much. Her determination to be involved in archeology was inspiring, although I can’t imagine her getting to be on a dig now. It was interesting seeing the Egyptian culture through her eyes as she realized the impact the English were having on Egyptian history and on Egyptian culture then, in the 1920s.

Marie Benedict is a bestselling author. Her newest novel is Daughter of Egypt.

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

     

Sundays are for Writing #363

This was a decent writing week. I wrote about a thousand words of fiction—not a lot, I know, but I wrote zero words of fiction last year, so I’m doing baby steps this year. I also wrote one book review, Daughter of Egypt, by Marie Benedict, and DNFed The Creek, the Crone, and the Crow, by Rachel Weiss (because it was really dragging for me).

Happy writing!

Book Review: When the Rain Came, by Matthew Eicheldinger   

Image belongs to Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Title: When the Rain Came  
Author: Matthew Eicheldinger        
Genre: YA  
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Seventeen-year-old Aurora knows how to survive. Life in the foster system has taught her how to stay quiet, stay smart, and stay ready. But nothing could prepare her for this: a never-ending storm that swallows cities, drowns forests, and turns the world into a flooded wasteland.

Trapped in a collapsing house with her strict prepper foster parents, Aurora is forced to live by their rules just to stay alive. Until the day they disappear without a trace.

Alone. Abandoned. And running out of time.

All Aurora has is a waterlogged scrap of paper and a “The Hill.”

With looters closing in and the floodwaters rising higher each day, she’s left with one impossible choice—stay and wait for the storm to take her, or risk everything on a journey through the drowned remains of the world, to a find a place that may or not exist.

It’s forward or nothing.

This felt more like a middle grade than YA. A dystopian read, although the societal response to the weather disaster is basically non-existent, which doesn’t really make sense to me. No mention of weather forecasters, at the very least, much less the response by the government and first responders? That didn’t feel believable.

This was still a solid, very quick read, and is clearly a set-up for a series. Getting to know Aurora at the beginning gave enough of her background and who she was to showcase the change in her towards the end of the book, and the conflict made it intriguing.

Matthew Eicheldinger is a bestselling author. When the Rain Came is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Book Review: Only Spell Deep, by Ava Morgyn       

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | St. Martin’s Griffin.

Title: Only Spell Deep
Author: Ava Morgyn             
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating:  3 out of 5

Judeth Cole has always had certain uncanny abilities. But when she arrived at Solidago – her grandfather’s estate by the sea – she was forced to keep them secret. There she lived a harsh life under his rule and the haunting legacy of her late grandmother, Aurelia. Until the fateful day she ignited a fire with her magic. It was the last time she saw her family alive.

Seventeen years later, she’s living in Seattle as Jude Clark, and failing at life, when she makes a last detour through her favorite bookstore, selecting a book to read as she waits to die. But when she pulls it from the shelf, an invitation to her for a clandestine midnight meeting slips out.

Jude is quickly swept up into a world of secrets and magic, discovering a circle of powerful new companions led by the mysterious, enigmatic Arla. The source of their magic, Arla tells her, is a goddess, trapped and bound, that they call The Fathom. But Jude swiftly realizes Arla wants this power all to herself, and that she’s willing to kill for it.

Terrified, Jude turns to Levi Orman, the handsome bookseller who’s seen her at her worst. With his help, she begins a research journey that leads her from the crystal waters of the Mediterranean to the icy waves of the Greenland Sea and back to Solidago, the house she swore to never return to. With the Fathom threatening to break free and Arla on the hunt, Jude must finally face her past to save her future.

This was…I don’t know. I didn’t really connect with the character. Judeth was forever doing stupid stuff and then being shocked when disaster resulted, and she’s pretty selfish, too. The Fathom was creepy and I didn’t care for any of that aspect. Actually…I’m not sure why I finished this. Probably because it was a quick read.

Ava Morgyn lives in Houston. Only Spell Deep is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Heiress of Nowhere, by Stacey Lee

Image belongs to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Title: Heiress of Nowhere   
Author: Stacey Lee           
Genre: YA   
Rating: 4 out of 5

1918. Orcas Island, Washington.

Lucy Nowhere has spent her eighteen years working on the vast estate of the eccentric shipbuilder who took her in after she washed ashore in a green canoe as a baby. But she has long wished for a life off the island, and in a matter of days, she is set to leave for college—and, for the first time, choose her own future.

Then she finds her employer’s severed head on the beach. Rumors swirl that a mischievous spirit and its minions, the sea wolves, have struck again. Lucy doesn’t believe in myths. She knows that a human—a human murderer—killed him. And when she is unexpectedly named heiress to the estate, she understands the next target is her.

Her closest friend, the estate’s vigilant young guard, begs her to escape while she can. But Lucy knows the only way she can discover who she is, and free the island of its curse, is to find the real killer—before she becomes the next victim.

Honestly, I wanted to know more about the sea wolves! So, my only complaint is that that part of the storyline wasn’t resolved.

This setting was very isolated and insular, but the author depicted it well. I liked the characters and the impact their different cultures had on things. This was a solid historical read, and was very clean, too, making it an excellent choice for a YA audience. Lots of threads twisting and turning and I was never quite sure who the culprit was, but I enjoyed the read.

Stacey Lee is a bestselling author. Heiress of Nowhere is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.)

    

Sundays are for Writing #362

This was a solid writing week. I wrote three book reviews, Heiress of Nowhere, by Stacey Lee, When the Rain Came, by Matt Eicheldinger,  and Only Spell Deep, by Ava Morgyn. I wrote 1k on the fiction project, and outlined two scenes as well.,

Happy writing!

Sundays are for Writing #361

This week, I only wrote one book review, Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra. I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I also wrote my February reading post, and the best books I read in February.

I also outlined two scenes in the fiction project and wrote 1k.

Happy writing!

Book Review: Midnight on the Celestial, by Julia Alexandra   

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books.

Title: Midnight on the Celestial  
Author: Julia Alexandra    
Genre: YA  
Rating: 5 out of 5

Roe Damarcus has never been afraid of the dead. Her power to summon spirits has awed the guests of her esteemed family’s galas for as long as she can remember. Her future is certain, and her gift will be another shining jewel in the Damarcus legacy.

But when she fails her realm’s trial to keep her magic and is deemed too dangerous for society, she faces a harrowing choice: give up her gift or serve a punishment sentence aboard the Celestial, a luxurious magical cruise ship where staff members compete for guest votes to earn a coveted retrial.

As a concierge, Roe juggles the demands of affluent guests, cruel bosses, and the suspicion that an infuriatingly handsome silks performer, Ivander, is determined to keep her from a retrial.

But the true dangers surface after her shift ends when the Celestial transforms into halls of nightmares that kill staff members after dark. Faced with the reality of serving aboard, Roe begins to question the ship, trials, and the system that put her there. But the moment Roe sinks into the ship’s dark history, she’s wrongly framed for a guest’s murder. Vowing to conjure her own second chance, Roe will use whatever power she has to uncover the secrets of the ship, her family, and their entwined bloody past… before she becomes the Celestial’s next victim.

I really enjoyed this! I was drawn in from the first page because of Roe’s voice. The world was fascinating—and the Celestial was terrifying. Roe was a character I could relate to because of her faults and her determination. I loved how she made friends on the ship and how resolutely she pursued her goals. The magic system is interesting , and I really liked this world and would be happy to read more.

Julia Alexandra lives in Florida. Midnight on the Celestial is her debut novel.

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