Spoiler warning! This is book 11 in the October Daye series, and because of this it is impossible for me to review this book without revealing spoilers for some of the earlier books. If you want to start at the beginning, the first book is Rosemary and Rue. If you’re not entirely caught up, proceed at your own risk. When the biggest of October “Toby” Daye’s worries is whether she’s going to be forced to sing karaoke during her bachelorette party, it’s safe to say that things are so uncharacteristically […]
Magic! Paper Dogs!
Reading an incredibly disappointing novel, for me, makes me long for something simple and easy. Luckily, the book I’d chosen from all the ones waiting on my Kindle was perfect for that. Charlie Holmberg’s The Paper Magician is the first in a series of fantasy novels about a young apprentice magician, Ceony Twill. Ceony has just finished her studies at the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined; much to her chagrin she has been assigned an apprenticeship with a paper magician. Ceony had always […]
More Gorgeous Prose
I have decided to take the plunge and read the whole Raven Cycle series since I haven’t done a good submersion into a series in a while. Stiefvater’s beautiful prose does not disappoint in volume 2, The Dream Thieves. I am absolutely in love with this woman’s craft. Her brilliant syntax and poetic descriptions are at times so perfect and poignant, it hurts. It literally makes me think about her book whenever I’m not reading it. I blew through this volume in about 2 days because I […]
Too Dangerous For Adults
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (2007) – I never really understood the YA (Young Adult) and MG (Middle Grade) labels on books until I read this. With Harry Potter and the young heroes in Andre Norton’s books, the protagonist is a kid (and kids love to read them); however, they are not strictly YA or MG. The reason is the writing style. Trenton Lee Stewart shares an exciting adventure of four unique heroes, but the writing is simple and straightforward. No complex […]
Winter’s Champion and the Outcast Outcast
The Beasts of Tabat by Cat Rambo (2017) – This fantasy tale is a nice, comfortable story with some great world-building and a shared billing with two heroes. The world, northerly and cold, consists of Humans, Beasts, and Shifters. Humans rule the land and Beasts, mythical creatures such as minotaurs, griffins, and mermaids, are slaves to the humans. Shifters are shape-shifters and hunted by Humans and Beasts. Teo, our first hero, is a Shifter in a small village to the far north where his people […]
Is a Western fantasy set in a Middle Eastern environment an Eastern?
Amani Al-Hiza is poor orphan, raised by uncaring relatives in a small desert town where most inhabitants work in the local mine. She knows that if she doesn’t collect enough money to get out soon, she’ll end up as third wife to her unpleasant uncle, a fate she would rather die than accept. One night, she disguises herself as a boy and enters a shooting competition at the local watering hole, trying to win enough money to finally leave. She’s an excellent shot, and sure […]