Tag: magic

Book Review: The Alchemy of Flowers, by Laura Resau

Image belongs to HarperCollins Focus/ Harper Muse.

Title: The Alchemy of Flowers
Author: Laura Resau       
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

“Here lie the bones of those who broke the rules . . .”

There are many rules those who wish to live and work behind the mysterious walled gardens of Le Château du Paradis must follow. One must not gossip. One must not leave their room during dusk.

And most importantly for the newest gardener, Eloise Bourne, children are forbidden.

Although she’s locked inside the castle grounds and subjected to strange rules, Eloise’s new home enchants her with otherworldly lodging and magical flowers. Best of all, her co-workers–who are also retreating from the world–spark her to heal both body and soul. And she feels surprisingly drawn to the intriguing handyman, Raphaël.

But when she starts glimpsing a mysterious child in the trees, she reels. Is this a human girl? Or a woodsprite? Is it her imagination, or is this place truly enchanted?

As the summer unfolds, Eloise begins to fear the child is in danger. It’s not until she breaks the rules and risks her heart that Paradise becomes a prison. Eloise must unearth the gardens’ secrets, fight for her newfound family, and ultimately, claim a second chance at happiness.

Who wouldn’t want to run away to a peaceful, magical, hidden garden…and live in a treehouse? This book felt like magic, and I truly enjoyed it. Life there sounded so simple and, frankly, too good to be true. There was enough mystery throughout to keep me engaged, and the magical surroundings kept me reading. I enjoyed the characters and learning about their histories, while rooting for their futures!

Laura Resau is an award-winning author. The Alchemy of Flowers is her adult debut.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins Focus/ Harper Muse in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Den of Liars, by Jessica S. Olson

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Title: Den of Liars
Author: Jessica S. Olson         
Genre: Fantasy, YA    
Rating: 5 out of 5

Lola St. James is the world’s best kept secret. When her father’s loss in the Liar’s Dice Tournament–a high-stakes competition where players are forced to gamble with their deepest secrets–made her a target, she was rescued by the Thief, the notorious leader of the Tentacles. But the Thief’s kindness came with a Lola’s heart. In the years that followed, she and the Thief formed a bond like no other, able to feel each other’s emotions because of their shared heart.

Now, living under the pseudonym Astra, she is determined to prove herself and become a full-fledged Tentacle. But when a critical heist goes sideways, the only way forward is for Lola to compete in the Liar’s Dice Tournament herself. Lola is confident in her ability to pull off any heist, but the Thief’s mysterious brother, the Liar, runs the game and he turns out to be more than she bargained for. As her attraction for him grows and illusions run wild, she will be forced to confront the secrets of her past, the truth of the brothers’ shared history, and the lies she tells herself.

I was engrossed in this from the very first page. Lola is a great character, and I loved getting to know her and trying to guess what she’d do next. The Thief and the Liar were both strong characters—and both had good and bad qualities, but I was eager to find out more. Loved the worldbuilding in this, and the casino world was riveting to me. I would absolutely have binge-read the next book in this series immediately!

Jessica S. Olson lives in Texas. Den of Liars is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan’s in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: A Forgery of Fate, by Elizabeth Lim

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Title: A Forgery of Fate
Author: Elizabeth Lim         
Genre: YA, fantasy  
Rating: 5 out of 5

Truyan Saigas didn’t choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.

Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father’s disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King’s inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms. . . .

This was such a good read! I liked Tru from the beginning, and loved getting to know her. Her sisters were great, too, but I didn’t really like her mother. The world was unique and I enjoyed getting to explore it through Tru’s eyes. (I did have a few quibbles with how easy living and breathing underwater was handles, but I can let that go. The turtles and other undersea characters were fun, and I’d love to read more set in this world.

Elizabeth Lim lives in New York City. A Forgery of Fate is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Amalfi Curse, by Sarah Penner

Image belongs to Harlequin/Park Row.

Title: The Amalfi Curse
Author: Sarah Penner
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction  
Rating: 5 out of 5

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…

This was an excellent read! I loved the setting; it sounded so beautiful. Both the main characters, Haven and Mari, are strong women trapped (to some extent) by circumstance beyond their control but determined to do whatever necessary to make things right. The characters are vibrant, and I was invested in what happened to them.

 Sarah Penner is a bestselling author. The Amalfi Curse is her newest novel.

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

 

Book Review: The Notorious Virtues, by Alwyn Hamilton

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Title: The Notorious Virtues
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Genre: Mystery/thriller, Fantasy, YA   
Rating: 4.8 out of 5

At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money–and all the magic–in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random–it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

With everyone against her, Lotte’s last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition–and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls’ sworn protectors–turns her world upside down.

I really liked this read! Nora was a bit insufferable at first, but she grew on me quickly. Nora knows her family and her world are messed up, but she doesn’t at first realize how badly. I can’t even imagine being in constant competition with my entire family, or how miserable that sort of life would be.

I did not like Lotte at first—she wasn’t a very nice person—but I did feel sympathetic to her. Talk about growing up with gaslighting and emotional abuse. It’s a small wonder she turned out as well as she did. There’s a bit of a Cinderella story for her, but everything wasn’t all sunshine and roses, which was much more believable. I loved this world and can’t wait to read more!

Alwyn Hamilton is a bestselling author. The Notorious Virtues is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Holy Terrors, by Margaret Owen

Image belongs to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Title: Holy Terrors
Author: Margaret Owen
Genre: Fantasy, YA   
Rating: 5 out of 5

It’s been nearly two years since Vanja brought down the cult she started, and she’s still paying the price. As the Pfennigeist, she bucks the law in order to help the desperate and haunt the corrupt all across the empire—and no matter what, she works alone.

But an impossible killer is tearing through royalty, and leaving Vanja’s signature red penny on every victim. Suddenly the Pfennigeist is no longer a folk hero but a nightmare. When even the Blessed Empress falls, the empire’s seven royal families must gather to elect her successor within a matter of weeks, or risk the collapse of reality itself… even though it puts every house in the killer’s sights.

Vanja tells herself she’s wading into the royalty’s vicious games only to save the name she made, and the loved ones also in jeopardy. But the Order of Prefects has also put their sharpest official on the case, the one who swore he’d always find Vanja—until she broke his heart. Journeyman Prefect Emeric Conrad may no longer be the boy Vanja knew, but they’ll have to work together one last time to have any chance of surviving the deadly catastrophe coming for them all.

With bloody conspiracy, sinister magic, and old adversaries closing in, it will take everything Vanja has to save not just the people she loves, but the future she’s fought for.

I really loved this! Vanja’s voice, her wry sarcasm, is just so on point it had me laughing all through the book. She’s a great character: she can see her flaws, but she just goes ahead anyway—and somehow it works out for the best (mostly). Emeric is so uptight it makes me laugh—and Vanja’s descriptions of him are even funnier. Junior and the sausages probably made me laugh the most.

As far as the murder mystery…I never had a clue what was going on, who was going to die next, or who the murderer was—much less how Vanja was going to figure out the whole mess. I enjoyed all of this book immensely!

Margaret Owen has a degree in Japanese. Holy Terrors is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Deathly Grimm, by Kathryn Purdie

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Title: The Deathly Grimm   
Author: Kathryn Purdie        
Genre: YA, Fantasy   
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

The story hasn’t ended yet.

After surviving the Forest Grimm and defeating the Wolf, Clara and Axel have made it back to their village, the one place they can be safe behind the forest’s borders. But when the forest itself begins luring in more villagers, it’s clear that Clara and Axel have only treated the symptoms of the forest’s curse, not the cause—and it’s getting worse.

Burdened with visions of the past and learning to navigate her fragile new relationship with Axel, Clara finds herself entering the forest with Axel yet again to discover the truth once and for all: the identity of the murderer who caused the curse. As they fight murderous woodsmen with incomprehensible riddles, ladies who will drag you into an eternal dance, and ghosts with the power to wield the forest against them, Clara and Axel realize the stakes are higher than ever. If they don’t survive the dark, deadly twists of the forest once more, not only will they never escape, they may also no longer have a home to escape to.

I enjoyed this second book in The Forest Grimm duology. It was good seeing more of these familiar characters, and the quaint village they call home. I like the creepy fairy tale characters, too. The answer to who the murderer really was didn’t really come as a surprise to me, but I still enjoyed the story a lot and read the whole thing in one day.

Kathryn Purdie is a bestselling author. The Deathly Grimm is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: His Mortal Demise, by Vanessa Le

Image belongs to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Title: His Mortal Demise
Author: Vanessa Le      
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Kochin is a heartsooth — a rare being with the ability to heal any wound. Any wound, that is, except death.

Intent on defying nature and bringing Nhika back to life, Kochin keeps her body in a life-preserving casket and waits for a miracle. Stricken with grief and descending into madness, Kochin realizes the answer to his desperate quest can only lie in one place: Yarong, the lush yet battle-ridden island the first heartsooths called home.

Months later, Nhika wakes in a familiar manor-house, with Kochin nowhere to be found. As she traces his footsteps across Theumas, she discovers the haunting path he walked to bring her back, and a world changed by war.

When Kochin discovers the true and grisly way to resurrect a person from the grave, he must decide exactly how much he is willing to sacrifice, in order to reunite with the woman he loves…

I really enjoyed this read! I liked the first book in this duology, and I think this book did a fantastic job of wrapping up all the storylines from the first book while on an entirely new adventure. The dual-POV really worked for me, along with the dual timeline, allowing the reader to see all aspects of the story. I liked both Nhika and Kochin’s stories, and seeing the familiar secondary characters from the first book added another layer of comfort to the story. This would make an excellent weekend read!

Vanessa Le is from the Pacific Northwest. His Mortal Demise is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Bane Witch, by Ava Morgyn  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Bane Witch
Author: Ava Morgyn        
Genre: Fantasy        
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Piers Corbin has always had an affinity for poisonous things—plants and men. From the pokeweed berries she consumed at age five that led to the accidental death of a stranger, to the husband whose dark proclivities have become… concerning, poison has been at the heart of her story.

But when she fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her volatile marriage and goes to stay with her estranged great aunt in the mountains, she realizes her predilection is more than a hunger—it’s a birthright. Piers comes from a long line of poison eaters—Bane Witches—women who ingest deadly plants and use their magic to rid the world of evil men.

Piers sets out to earn her place in her family’s gritty but distinguished legacy, all while working at her Aunt Myrtle’s cafe and perpetuating a flirtation with the local, well-meaning sheriff to allay his suspicions on the body count she’s been leaving in her wake. But soon she catches the attention of someone else, a serial killer operating in the area. And that only means one thing—it’s time to feed.

I wasn’t too sure about this at first. It started off slow for me—or I had trouble connecting with Piers at first. But somewhere on her flight to the mountains, I became invested in Piers’ story. I actually didn’t care for her aunt or the other Bane Witches at all, and the small-town kind of gave me the creeps, but Piers herself was a joy to read. I may never look at mushrooms the same way again!

Ava Morgyn lives in Houston. The Bane Witch is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: A Monsoon Rising, by Thea Guanzon

Image belongs to Avon and Harper Voyager.

Title: A Monsoon Rising    
Author:  Thea Guanzon
Genre: Fantasy, romance      
Rating: 5 out of 5

After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. Now Talasyn must play the part of Alaric’s willing empress while her allies secretly plot to overthrow his reign. But the longer the couple are forced together, the harder it becomes to deny the feelings crackling like lightning between them. When the time comes to act, can she trust him, or must she ignore her heart for the sake of so many others?

As the master of the Shadowforged Legion, Alaric has trained for battle all his life, but marrying a Lightweaver might be his most dangerous challenge yet. With tensions between nations churning, he needs to focus on the greater threat—the Moonless Dark, a cataclysmic magical event that could devour everything. Only he and Talasyn can stop it, with a powerful merging of light and shadow that they alone can create together. But saving their world from this disaster is a mere preface to his father’s more sinister schemes, and his wife is a burning flame in the darkness, tempting both his loyalties and his desires.

The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.

I’m still loving these books! The world and mythology are fascinating to me, and I really like the two main characters. They actually start trusting each other a little bit here, but there are so many obstacles! And they can’t really trust anyone around them, adding another level of conflict. I found it very hard to put this book down!

Thea Guanzon is a bestselling author. A Monsoon Rising is her newest novel.

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