Category: books

Book Review: The Unwritten Rules of Magic, by Harper Ross  

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Title: The Unwritten Rules of Magic
Author: Harper Ross  
Genre: Fantasy    
Rating: 4 out of 5

Emerson Clarke can’t remember a time when she felt in control of her life. Her father—a celebrated author—blew in and out of her childhood like a hurricane until he got Alzheimer’s. Her mother numbed loneliness with gin. And recently, her teen daughter has shut her out without explanation. The only place Emerson has ever been in charge is in front of the keyboard where, as a ghostwriter, she dictates everything that happens on the page. If only she could arrange reality the same way, life could be perfect. An impossible fantasy—or so she believes until she makes a startling discovery.

After her father’s wake, Emerson steals her father’s vintage typewriter—the very one he’d forbidden anyone to touch—and tests its keys by typing out a frivolous wish. After it comes true the very next day, she tries another. When those words also spring to life, she becomes obsessed with using the typewriter to engineer happiness for herself and her daughter. Easier said than done.

As Emerson shapes her real-life circumstances, she uncovers disturbing truths about her family’s history and the unexpected cost for each story-come-true. She should destroy the typewriter, but when her daughter’s secret finally emerges, Emerson is torn between paying the price for bending fate and embracing the uncertainty of an unscripted life.

I was a little bit on the fence for the first half of this book. I wasn’t sure if I liked Emerson or not for…yeah, half the book. Actually, I’m kind of still on the fence about her after I’ve finished the book. She seems pretty whiny and doesn’t actually want to do the work—she just wants the happy results handed to her without effort on her part. Sure. Don’t we all? That being said, this was a decent read. I liked the wrap-up and resolution of the story.

The Unwritten Rules of Magic is Harper Ross’s debut novel.

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

  

Book Review: Silver & Blood, by Jessie Mihalik

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon.

Title: Silver & Blood
Author: Jessie Mihalik            
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

There’s something in the woods…

Untrained and barely armed, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forest and kill the deadly beast that has been attacking her fellow villagers as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought. When one beast turns into two, she fears her death is at hand, but unexpected aid from a scarred, strikingly handsome man with dangerous moonlit magic means a second chance at life—and an opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from her fight in the forest, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. Riela soon learns Garrick is not a mortal mage at all—he’s a powerful Etheri sovereign who has been locked out of his kingdom in Lohka for nearly a century, and his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets connecting Riela’s past to Lohka, the tenuous threads of trust between them begin to fray because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.

I just enjoyed this read. I liked the world and the culture and the characters. Did the “twists” surprise me? Not really, but I’ve read a lot of fantasy. That didn’t make me enjoy it less, though. I liked Riela’s spunk and her determination—even when I knew it was going to lead to some stupid decisions. Would I read more, just for fun? Absolutely!

Jessie Mihalik lives in Texas. Silver & Blood is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon in exchange for an honest review.)

   

Book Review: In Bloom, by Liz Allan    

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Title: In Bloom
Author: Liz Allan     
Genre: Fiction   
Rating: 3 out of 5

It’s the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, four girls – each hailing from single-mother, multi-sibling families, form a band. Friends since they were children, they consider themselves ‘forgettable girls’ – poor, not particularly clever, distracted at school, disengaged and disillusioned from the other kids, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers, who seem locked into a life of minimum-wage jobs and domestic drudgery. Winning the Battle of the Bands is their ticket out – they might not have talent, but they can play three chords and scream until their vocal folds burst out of their throats – and nobody wants it more than them.

But when lead singer Lily Lucid quits, and accuses their idolized music teacher of sexual assault, the three remaining girls are left with nothing. They’ll do anything to keep their dream alive, even if it means sacrificing school, Lily and their mothers. But how far out of control can they spin before there’s no turning back?

Most of this book is in a stream-of-consciousness style that feels more than a bit manic. The chapters are quick and frantic, so the story moves quickly, but I found the characters—the three main ones who are treated as a group whole without the reader even knowing their individual names until the last few chapters—to be fairly childish and annoying. Yes, they’re fourteen, but they acted several years younger than that. If this hadn’t been such a quick read, I would have DNFed it. The near-constant Nirvana obsession was enough to put me over the edge.

Liz Allan is from Australia and lives in the UK. In Bloom is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Sundays are for Writing #355

Yeah, work was absolutely crazy this week, with the impending cold weather event—Texas does not do ice storms well—so I didn’t get much reading done. I did write one book review, The Halifax Hellions, by Alexandra Vasti.

Happy writing! Stay warm.

Book Review and Blog Tour: Anne of a Different Island, by Virginia Kantra    

Title: Anne of a Different Island
Author: Virginia Kantra             
Genre: Fiction  
Rating: 4 out of 5

She believed life could follow a plotline—until the story she was living unraveled.

Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake: the same impulsive charm, the same fiery imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley’s fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.

But when a string of real-life plot twists—a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father—pulls her back to the island she once couldn’t wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn’t follow a script.

Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her “The Pest.” It’s time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one.

This was a cute read. It actually felt as bit like a comfort read: I knew Anne and Joe would end up together, I just didn’t know all the twists and turns. All the similarities and callbacks to Anne of Green Gables were fun, too, especially Anne introducing a new generation to her favorite books. This was a solid read.

Virginia Kantra is a bestselling author. Anne of a Different Island is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Sundays are for Writing #354

I’ve been doing some plotting for my fiction project this week. I only wrote one book review, Strange Animals, by Jarod K. Anderson. I also DNFed three books: Dating After the End of the World, Maybe This Once, and Keeper of Lost Children.

Happy writing!

Book Review: The Bookbinder’s Secret, by A. D. Bell

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Title: The Bookbinder’s Secret
Author: A. D. Bell            
Genre: Historical fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5

Lilian (“Lily”) Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father’s failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man’s profession. But when she’s given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder.

Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit.

Lily’s search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything for the books, Lilian’s world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life.

I enjoyed the parts of this about bookbinding, and the mysterious hidden letters and story hidden in the bindings of the secret books. I did not enjoy Lily’s penchant for doing absolutely stupid things all the time. I was honestly more invested in the story from the past than Lily’s story, as I was not convinced she’d ever make a good decision.

A. D. Bell lives in Oxford. The Bookbinder’s Secret is her debut novel.

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

   

Book Review: Oxford Blood, by Rachael Davis-Featherstone     

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

Title: Oxford Blood
Author: Rachael Davis-Featherstone         
Genre: YA, thriller   
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

Love, Lies, Legacy…

High-achieving state-school pupil Eva has one dream – reading English at Oxford. If she gets in, not only will she receive a world-class education at an elite university, but she will be fulfilling the dreams of her mother and gain some independence from her father, the overprotective Inspector Dawkins.

At the same school, Eva’s best-friend George is also hoping to go to Oxford. The attraction between him and Eva is undeniable, but they’ve agreed to put any romance on hold until their places at Oxford are secured. Eva cannot be distracted from her goal – although when they are both invited for interview week, their future together feels oh-so close.

Until George shows up dead.

The police rule his death an accident, but the behaviour of some of the other interview candidates has Eva suspecting foul play. When a shocking secret about George is revealed, Eva finds suspicion falling on her. What was meant to be one of the most important weeks of her life is fast turning into a nightmare.

All eyes are now on Eva, including the anonymous posters behind OxSlay, a gossipy social media forum exclusively for Oxford students. But amongst the conspiracy theories, lurk hidden clues. Could they help Eva clear her name – and catch the killer?

This was disturbing to me for several reasons, the main one being the way everyone was absorbed in social media—and believed every single thing they read on it. The idea of being in the Oxford environment and being absorbed like that with learning and studying was fascinating, but the dark side of the environment was pretty horrifying.

Rachael Davis-Featherstone lives in Hampshire, England. Oxford Blood is her new novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #353

Well, work was chaos this week + I didn’t sleep very well = I didn’t get any reading done, so I didn’t write a single book review. I did outline two scenes for my fiction project, which felt really good.

how was your writing week?

Happy writing!

Book Review: Skylark, by Paula McLain    

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title: Skylark
Author: Paula McLain     
Genre: Historical fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5

1664: Alouette Voland is the daughter of a master dyer at the famed Gobelin Tapestry Works, who secretly dreams of escaping her circumstances and creating her own masterpiece. When her father is unjustly imprisoned, Alouette’s efforts to save him lead to her own confinement in the notorious Salpêtrière asylum, where thousands of women are held captive and cruelly treated. But within its grim walls, she discovers a small group of brave allies, and the possibility of a life bigger than she ever imagined.

1939: Kristof Larson is a medical student beginning his psychiatric residency in Paris, whose neighbors on the Rue de Gobelins are a Jewish family who have fled Poland. When Nazi forces descend on the city, Kristof becomes their only hope for survival, even as his work as a doctor is jeopardized.

I really enjoyed both timelines of this novel…except the endings. Wasn’t really a fan of either of those, but that’s a me issue. Strong writing, and I had no problems being immersed in the points-of-view of two such different characters. Both settings were sad and difficult, but the characters managed to find hope and push forward, despite the challenges.

Paula McLain is a bestselling author. Skylark is her newest novel.

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