Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Great (and Chunky) Prequel

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

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My first 5-star read of the year! I liked The Priory of the Orange Tree a bit more because I was 100% engaged all the way through, and with this prequel my engagement dipped occasionally, but it was still excellent. In some ways it was easier to settle into the world because we already know the basics from Priory, though there will still a lot of names and titles to adjust to. One of the things I really loved was seeing the differences between the world now […]

Found family with a little magic

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

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I saw A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping (2025) by Sangu Mandanna on NPR’s Favorite Books List. Books with witches and whatnot are not usually my thing, but I’ve found some good books on NPR and I didn’t want to be too close-minded. So, I got the audiobook from my library for a low commitment read while commuting. If I had to describe this book in four words, I would say it is quiet, sweet, uplifting, and funny. At the beginning of the book, Sera Swan is a […]

This feels like the second book of a trilogy but it isn’t

A Forest, Darkly: A Novel by A.G. Slatter

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A Forest, Darkly is both a fantasy and a mystery. The Great Forest, where the action takes place, is a frontier where civilization seems to be slowly encroaching. Old magic and creatures are still very much alive here, and the presence of a witch has been tolerated by villagers for generations, but the world is changing. The village has grown since main character Mehrab, resident witch, arrived 20 years ago, and lately, something dark and insidious seems to be stalking the forest. This would be […]

Going to hell to finish school

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

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I could not get more than halfway through R. F. Kuang’s Babel. The world and magic system were amazing; I could not stay interested in all the character personal drama. Thus I was hesitant to try Katabasis. I finally did though, as I have some experience in the world of higher education as well as the Classical background to appreciate that title reference. On the other hand, that didn’t help The Secret History; hated that, mostly because of the stupid unlikeable character drama. Tragedy in […]

The talk is had and the kitties get fed

The Tomb of Dragons by Katherine Addison

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I knew that The Tomb of Dragons was part 3 of a trilogy that was itself kind of a side series from a stand-alone novel The Goblin Emperor. Now all four are being framed as “Within the Chronicles of Osreth” (back cover), so I’m really hoping there’s going to be more of this world and characters. The Tomb of Dragons is a good ending with decent closure for Thara Celehar’s story, but there’s also plenty of room left open for more to come, including the […]

Might be time for a Hidden Legacy reread!

Beast Business by Ilona Andrews

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I knew Ilona Andrews had a new novel coming out very soon but this novella in the Hidden Legacy universe was a bit of a surprise (no, I still haven’t signed up for the newsletter). This focuses on two characters outside the family that we have seen pop up over the years – Augustine, an Illusion Prime, Head of House Montgomery and the agency Nevada once worked for, and Diana, animal mage, Head of House Harrison and ally to House Baylor through her brother and […]



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