Tag: fantasy

Book Review:  Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett   

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

Title: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter
Author: Heather Fawcett     
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 4 out of 5

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life—and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a much-needed cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for lost cats.

But after she is forced to move the cat shelter, Agnes learns that her new landlord is using her charity as a front—for an internationally renowned and thoroughly disreputable magic shop. Owned by the disorganized—not to mention self-absorbed, irritating, but also decidedly handsome—Havelock Renard, magician and failed Dark Lord, the shop draws magical clientele from around the world, partly due to the quality of Havelock’s illicit goods as well as their curiosity about his shadowy past and rumors of his incredible powers. Agnes’s charity offers the perfect cover for illegal magics.

Agnes couldn’t care less about the shop—magical intrigue or not, there are cats to be rescued. But when an enemy from Havelock’s past surfaces, the magic shop—and more importantly, the cat shelter—are suddenly in jeopardy. To save the shelter, will Agnes have to set aside her social conscience and protect the man who once tried to bring about the apocalypse—and is now trying to steal her heart?

This was a cute read! I really liked world/setting. The era, the city streets and little neighborhood communities—I found these absolutely charming. I liked Agnes herself quite a bit, and her sister was a nice contrast to her. But the cats are the real stars of the show, and I wanted to take them all home, magic or no magic.

Heather Fawcett is a bestselling author. Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Carnival Fantástico, by Angela Montoya    

Image belongs to Random House Children’s Books | Joy Revolution.

Title: Carnival Fantástico
Author: Angela Montoya         
Genre: YA, fantasy   
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival’s resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army.

Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he’s ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.

Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they’ll need to confront.  

This was an okay read. The dark carnival setting was fascinating and a lot of fun and was really the highlight of the book. Esmerelda and Ignacio felt pretty one-dimensional and their “conflict” could have been solved in one five-minute conversation instead of them continuously running away from each other. I liked the secondary characters quite a bit and would enjoy reading more about them.

Angela Montoya lives in California. Carnival Fantástico is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s Books | Joy Revolution 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: The Rebel and the Rose, by Catherine Doyle     

Image belongs to Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Title: The Rebel and the Rose
Author: Catherine Doyle        
Genre: YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…

I had not read the first The City of Fantome book, but that didn’t end up mattering. The writing was so skillful and details from the past were worked in so seamlessly that I had no problems staying up-to-speed.

I loved these characters and this world! The mythology was interesting, and the culture was fascinating. So much sarcasm and snark made me snort frequently. I can’t wait to read more!

Catherine Doyle is from Ireland. The Rebel and the Rose is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books in exchange for an honest review.)

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: Break Wide the Sea, by Sara Holland  

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

Title: Break Wide the Sea
Author: Sara Holland            
Genre: YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5

The seafaring humans of Kirkrell have always been plagued by finfolk—bloodthirsty fae who haunt the seas, sinking ships and cursing bloodlines. Yet it’s only by hunting magical whales that Kirkrell can prosper. Nineteen-year-old Annie is heir to the Fairfax Whaling Company, but their family’s success came at a cost: a curse by which heartbreak turns Fairfaxes slowly into monsters. And six years ago, the shipwreck that killed Annie’s parents left her with scales spreading up her arms, claws sprouting from her fingertips.

The love of her fiancé, August, salved her heart for a while—but when she learns August is maneuvering to take over the company, the curse worsens. Fearing her time is running out, she strikes a bargain with a disreputable young captain, half-finfolk and half-human Silas Price: on a voyage to hunt whales in the far north, Silas will take Annie to the finfolk queen, who can lift the curse in return for a promise to end whaling forever.

As Annie, August and Silas sail north, she is determined to uphold her family’s legacy, but the threat of the finfolk tests her resolve. Lies corrupt her relationship with August; meanwhile a dangerous connection with Silas blooms—but he’s keeping secrets too, and his might be the most dangerous of all.

As heiress, it’s Annie’s responsibility to deliver whale magic to her city. But as heartbreak looms, she must choose between saving herself and her family’s legacy—and hope it doesn’t cost her everyone she loves.

At first, this was a tiny bit slow to me, but it engrossed me quickly. The culture, magic, and mythology in this book were unique and interesting, and I enjoyed these aspects a lot. I liked Annie, although I could not understand her attraction to August—who is clearly a jerk. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Sara Holland is a bestselling author. Break Wide the Sea is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The Dagger in Vichy, by Alastair Reynolds

Image belongs to Subterranean Press.

Title: The Dagger in Vichy
Author: Alastair Reynolds             
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 3 out of 5 

In a deep medieval future, a band of players travels across France to perform the same old tales in the same old towns. When passing soldiers entrust them with a mysterious box that they say must be delivered to the Imperator, old playwright Master Guillaume and young escaped thief Rufus puzzle at what the box might contain.

When Rufus overhears strange conversations between his Master Guillaume and the thing in the box, he must choose between his loyalty to the man who saved him from the noose and fear of the ancient intelligence working in their midst.

Secrets spill out over the road to Avignon, and none in the troupe are safe. Not Blind Benedict, who once saw the faceless Empty Knight patrolling the deathless Wald that creeps ever closer to the cities, and not Master Bernard whose sensible plans are not equal to the eldritch thing the company now carries with them. All the world’s a stage, and so was every world that came before.

The best thing I can say about this is that it’s short. There were aspects of the world and culture that intrigued me—like the Wald—and it had a bit of a steampunk feel, but I never cared about any of the characters. They all felt quite superficial, and we really didn’t get to know any of them. I never felt any sense of urgency or investment as I was reading, and I wouldn’t have kept reading at all if it weren’t for the brevity of the story.

Alastair Reynolds lives in Wales. His newest novel is The Dagger in Vichy.

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

   

Book Review: Thief of Night, by Holly Black

Image belongs to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books.

Title: Thief of Night   
Author: Holly Black     
Genre: Fantasy   
Rating: 4 out of 5

There’d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?

I hadn’t read the first book in this duology—sometimes, that doesn’t prove a challenge, but it did in this case—so it took me a bit to figure out this world and culture. I liked the characters in this, although I wanted to smack more than one several times. Lots of adventure and angst against a gritty backdrop of death and magic, this was a solid fantasy read.

Holly Black is a bestselling author. Thief of Night is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Woven From Clay, by Jenny Birch

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

Title: Woven From Clay
Author: Jenny Birch      
Genre: YA, fantasy   
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Terra Slater might not know anything about her birth family or where she comes from, but that’s never stopped her, and she fully intends her senior year to be her best yet. Until the dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder―a magical bounty hunter―moves to town, bringing revelations that wreck all of her plans.

When Terra learns she is a golem, not born but crafted from mud and magic by a warlock, her world is upended. Worse, Cyrus Quill, the warlock who made her, is a fugitive, on the run from the witches who want to hold him accountable for his past crimes. But Quill’s sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra―and all of the other golems that he crafted―together.

Desperate to save herself and her friends, Terra strikes a deal with Thorne and his coven to preserve the warlock’s life and his magic. If she can prove her worth to the coven by mastering the magic within her, the golems will survive. If she can’t, they’ll perish along with Cyrus. As Thorne helps her to see and manipulate the tapestry of magic that surrounds them, their unexpected alliance evolves into something more and Terra comes to understand the depths of her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her.

I thought this was a unique concept, and I enjoyed it! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything where the protagonist is a golem and I enjoyed the worldbuilding here—and how Terra didn’t have a clue she wasn’t human.  The way she physically melted/fell apart under stress was a great manifestation of how most of us feel on the regular. This was a bit of an enemies-to-lovers read, mixed up with magic and mythology, and it was a fun read.

Jenny Birch is from Pittsburgh. Woven from Clay is her new novel.

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