Tag: book review

Book Review: Heartless Hunter, by Kristen Ciccarelli

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Heartless Hunter   
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli     
Genre:  Fantasy   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

I really enjoyed this read! The first chapter or so was iffy for me, with Rune’s superficial artificial personality at the forefront, but she grew on me quickly. The society part was frustrating, because superficiality always frustrates me, but Rune played her part admirably and I loved how she had everyone fooled about the truth of her.

Gideon was a fascinating character: a strong man who was broken in the past. I enjoyed getting to know him and all the layers of his personality. The worldbuilding was fascinating, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Kristen Ciccarelli is a bestselling author who lives in Ontario. Heartless Hunter is her newest novel.

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

Sundays are for Writing #267

This was a great writing week! I got in five fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote three book reviews: The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden, and A Flame in the North, by Lilith Saintcrow, and the The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts was a historical fiction mixed with…something else. I was eager to read it because of the author, but it never fully resolved itself, to me. A Flame in the North felt like a very slow read. I loved the mythology setting, but I’m not sure I’ll read more, because of the pacing. The Book of Doors was a solid read, and ended up being very engrossing. I also wrote my February reading post, and the best books I read in February.

I have a plan to get my writing in while I’m traveling for work, so let’s see if that pans out.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in February (2024)

In February, I only read 12 books, which is…not very many for me. And there was an extra day! I need to catch up.

Of those twelve, two were fantastic and a few others were pretty good.

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros. I saw mention of Fourth Wing being excellent on audio, so I gave it a shot…and got sucked in from the first three minutes. I could not stop listening. I was so caught up in these characters and this world that I bought the second one—also on audio—before I even finished the first. And now I’m languishing, wondering when the release date for the third book is. Those cliffhanger endings….

The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, by Kylie Scott. This book was just good, plain fun! I laughed from the very beginning, and I was completely invested in finding out if Lilah’s prophecy came through—I also love how the prince was handled. This would be a fun weekend read!

What I Read in February (2024)

Books Read in February: 12
Books Read for the Year: 27/215
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books: Yeah, so the first part of this month got away from me and I ended up not finishing any of my monthly reads and pushing them off until March. Except for Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. I listened to this on audio, and it was phenomenal! I can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Iron Wing, by Rebecca Yarros (audio). Sigh…Why is the next book in this not out yet?

For Review:

The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, by Sara Ackerman. I enjoyed both timelines in this historical fiction and found all of it fascinating.

The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, by Kylie Scott. This made me laugh hysterically in several places! Such a fun read.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine, by Charlotte Stein. This made me laugh several times, but there was a lot of cussing that seemed jarring/unnecessary, and Alfie’s reactions seemed…nonsensical at times.

The Framed Women of Ardemore House, by Brandy Schillace. I really enjoyed this read, and read it straight through in one sitting.

One Night In A Thousand Years, by Craig Cunningham. I enjoyed this short audio book a lot! It’s a very uplifting and poignant coming-of-age story.

Why We Read, by Shannon Reed. Nonfiction can be hit or miss for me, but this was engrossing, funny, and absolutely fascinating. It’s all about books, so that’s definitely something it has going for it, but the author’s voice is highly readable, to.

The Lost Dresses of Italy, by M. A. Mclaughlin. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction read! I loved how Marianne’s work with the dresses was twined together with the tale of Christina Rossetti’s life in Verona. This was a very bittersweet read, but I enjoyed it.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden. This was an odd historical fiction read, but compelling. Laura’s POV was my favorite, as Freddie’s felt hazy.

A Flame in the North, by Lilith Saintcrow. The mythology in this was fascinating, but it felt very, very slow.

The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown. I enjoyed this. It felt almost leisurely, but I enjoyed it so much that I was eager to continue reading. The Book of Doors would be really cool!

Left Unfinished:

A Step Past Darkness, by Vera Kurian. I did not realize this was meant to be like IT until after I DNFed it…I love IT, although it absolutely terrified me (I’m scared of spiders. And clowns. Enough said.). I read about 20% of this, and all I got was…bored. I didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them. They were walking into the party in the mine where everything supposedly gets creepy when I stopped reading (and I knew that was about to happen), and I still couldn’t work up enough interest to keep reading.

Book Review: The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown

Image belongs to William Morrow.

Title:  The Book of Doors
Author: Gareth Brown     
Genre: Mystery/thriller, fantasy     
Rating: 4 out of 5

If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?

In New York City, bookseller Cassie Andrews is living an unassuming life when she is given a gift by a favourite customer. It’s a book – an unusual book, full of strange writing and mysterious drawings. And at the very front there is a handwritten message to Cassie, telling her that this is the Book of Doors, and that any door is every door.

What Cassie is about to discover is that the Book of Doors is a special book that bestows an extraordinary power on whoever possesses it, and soon she and her best friend Izzy are exploring all that the Book of Doors can do, swept away from their quiet lives by the possibilities of travelling to anywhere they want.

But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in the world. There are other books that can do wondrous and dreadful things when wielded by dangerous and ruthless individuals – individuals who crave what Cassie now possesses.

Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is, it seems, Drummond Fox. He is a man fleeing his own demons – a man with his own secret library of magical books that he has hidden away in the shadows for safekeeping. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all . . .

Because some doors should never be opened.

This felt like lit fic, but I actually finished reading it, so that can’t be quite right. I was engrossed in this from the very beginning. The opening scene is eye-catching—and raised all sorts of questions that I wanted answered. Cassie is a solid character; I liked her, rooted for her, and wanted to figure out how she was going to get out of the mess she was in. I do recommend this for a leisurely, fascinating read, but not a pulse-pounding one.

Gareth Brown lives in Scotland. The Book of Doors is his debut novel.

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

Book Review: A Flame in the North, by Lilith Saintcrow

Image belongs to Orbit Books.

Title:  A Flame in the North    
Author: Lilith Saintcrow    
Genre: Fantasy     
Rating:  3.8 out of 5

The Black Land is spent myth. Centuries have passed since the Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, every village still lights a ritual fire to banish the dark.

That is Solveig’s duty. Favored by the gods with powerful magic, Sol calls forth flame to keep her home safe. But when her brother accidentally kills a northern lord’s son, she is sent away as weregild—part hostage, part guest—for a year and a day.

The further north Sol travels, the clearer it becomes the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her and her magic are shrouded in secrecy.

With only her loyal shieldmaid and her own wits to reply upon, Sol must master power beyond her imagination to wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land’s army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness—unless Sol can find the courage to stop it.

They thought the old ways were dead. But now, the Enemy awakens…

I love the Norse-inspired mythos of this story, but it felt very, very slow. Sol and her shieldmaiden, Arn, were great characters, but everyone else sort of blurs together into a hazy backdrop. I couldn’t keep them straight, even the Elders. The worldbuilding and setting were fantastic and well-done, but everything else sort of dragged.

Lilith Saintcrow is a bestselling author. A Flame in the North is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden

Image belongs to Random House Ballantine/Del Rey.

Title: The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Author:  Katherine Arden    
Genre: Historical fiction, fantasy     
Rating:  4 out of 5

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

I wanted to read this based solely on the author, as her The Winternight trilogy was phenomenal! The writing in this one was superb, but I found the book to be a bit odd. It felt sort of like a fever dream:  vivid yet hazy. I loved Laura and her storyline kept me riveted (second time recently I’ve come across the Halifax explosion tragedy in my reading). Freddie’s story was also interesting, but it felt very hazy and out-of-focus to me. That being said, I do recommend this one—if you’re okay with not getting an explanation for everything in a story/

Katherine Arden is a bestselling author. The Warm Hands of Ghosts is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Ballantine/Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #266

This was another great writing week! I wrote two book reviews, The Lost Dresses of Italy, by M. A. Mclaughlin and A Step Past Darkness, by Vera Kurian. Spoiler alert: I DNFed A Step Past Darkness because I found it and the characters boring, but I really enjoyed The Lost Dresses of Italy. It was a great historical fiction read!

I also got in five fiction-writing sessions! This will prove more difficult next week, as I’ll be traveling a bit for work, but we’ll see how it goes.

Happy writing!

Book Review and Blog Tour:   A Step Past Darkness, by Vera Kurian

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title:  A Step Past Darkness    
Author: Vera Kurian     
Genre: Mystery/thriller     
Rating:  DNF

There’s something sinister under the surface of the idyllic, suburban town of Wesley Falls, and it’s not just the abandoned coal mine that lies beneath it. The summer of 1995 kicks off with a party in the mine where six high school students witness a horrifying crime that changes the course of their lives.

The six couldn’t be more different.

• Maddy, a devout member of the local megachurch
• Kelly, the bookworm next door
• James, a cynical burnout
• Casey, a loveable football player
• Padma, the shy straight-A student
• Jia, who’s starting to see visions she can’t explain

When they realize that they can’t trust anyone but each other, they begin to investigate what happened on their own. As tensions escalate in town to a breaking point, the six make a vow of silence, bury all their evidence, and promise to never contact each other again. Their plan works – almost.

Twenty years later, Jia calls them all back to Wesley Falls—Maddy has been murdered, and they are the only ones who can uncover why. But to end things, they have to return to the mine one last time.

I did not realize this was meant to be like IT until after I DNFed it…I love IT, although it absolutely terrified me (I’m scared of spiders. And clowns. Enough said.). I read about 20% of this, and all I got was…bored. I didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them. They were walking into the party in the mine where everything supposedly gets creepy when I stopped reading (and I knew that was about to happen), and I still couldn’t work up enough interest to keep reading.

Vera Kurian lives in Washington D.C. A Step Past Darkness is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Lost Dresses of Italy, by M. A. Mclaughlin

Image belongs to Alcove Press.

Title: The Lost Dresses of Italy
Author: M. A. Mclaughlin    
Genre: Historical fiction     
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

Verona, 1947. Textile historian Marianne Baxter comes to post-war Italy with one thing on her mind: three pristine Victorian dresses, once owned by the famous poet Christina Rossetti. Hidden away in a trunk for nearly a century, they were recently discovered at the Fondazione Museo Menigatti and Marianne’s expertise is needed before they go on exhibit. Still grieving the loss of her husband, the trip is also a reason for Marianne to start over. But when she arrives, she discovers an unsupportive but handsome museum owner, a superstitious local community, and a mysterious letter with a scribbled warning hidden among the dresses.

Verona, 1864. Christina Rossetti returns to her family’s homeland in hopes of leaving her unfulfilled personal life and poetry career in England and beginning a new chapter. After a chance encounter with an old family friend, she finds a gift her father once gave a small ornate box with the three Muses carved into the lid. When she stumbles across a secret compartment, Christina finds a letter from her father with an urgent and personal request.

The letter, speaking of a pendant and stolen book that must be returned, connects Marianne and Christina—and leaves them both with more questions than answers. Inspired by the real-life mysteries surrounding poet Christina Rossetti, A Forsaken Vow transports readers to Verona with the enchantment and intrigue of Italian art and fashion.

I was way too engrossed in both timelines of this book! I’d read Goblin Market by Christina Rossett years ago, but knew absolutely nothing about her, so this was a fascinating story to me. So evocative, and so absolutely tragic.

Marianne’s story also enthralled me from the beginning, as she arrived in Italy and then saw the dresses. I loved all the historical details and had trouble putting this book down!

M. A. Mclaughlin is from St. Louis. The Lost Dresses of Italy is her newest novel.

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