ARC – Cannonball Read 14

> Tag: ARC

‘Those who see the dead soon join them.’

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

August 30, 2022 by Pooja Leave a Comment

CBR 14 Bingo: Time Raine races against time to save Ovitus and to provide proof at the trial. Raine and the cult she has been traveling with for years are besieged in an ancient monastery when she rescues a mysterious wounded girl. But this act of kindness only serves to pull her into a dark conspiracy. I picked up this book because I am always on the lookout for fantasy authors I’ve not read before, and because I’ve always enjoyed stories with death magic. But […]

Murder Mystery Fairy Tale Fantasy Goodness

Beauty and the Alchemist by Elle Hartford

August 24, 2022 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

Beauty and the Alchemist asks, what does it take to overcome a curse? Particularly if the world you live in is filled with magic. Throw in a bit of murder and you have quite the mystery on your hands. Which is exactly what formerly traveling alchemist Red finds herself surrounded by. She’s been content to settle into life as a shopkeeper in rural Belville, expecting to focus on potions and finding her footing within the community. Red’s plans get changed when Belville’s lone police officer, […]

A Fairytale Romance

The Scarlet Circus by Jane Yolen

August 24, 2022 by Pooja Leave a Comment

In this collection of eleven short stories, the reader encounters love in its myriad forms – romance, but familial love and friendship and love of duty too – all splashed with plenty of fantasy. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I did not recognize Jane Yolen right away – she has written over four hundred books, and it turns out that though I have not read any of them, I knew plenty of them. Anyway I have rectified that sad oversight with The […]

Queen of the Nile

Cleopatra: Her History, Her Myth by Francine Prose

August 23, 2022 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Francine Prose tells the story of Cleopatra (VII Philopater, if you want to be specific), her entanglement with the Roman Empire, and how she has become distorted in cultural depictions after her death. In a way, I am reading this book in preparation – I’ve got the reading of a retelling of Cleopatra’s life set in space (!) coming up, and I figured that I’d appreciate it more if I gave myself a better grounding of the historical subject matter first. Also, I’ve always found […]

Ornery Agatha Cat Christie

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire

August 22, 2022 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Ellie and her sister Meg are the latest managers of their family-owned bookstore. When an employee disappears and a mysterious visitor ends up dead in a gondola, the Christies find themselves entangled in the mystery. My losing streak had apparently ended, because I adored this book! It had all the best traits of a cozy mystery – quirky characters, a small town feel, adorable animals – without going overboard, which is a real hazard in this genre. The Christies are a fun, close-knit family, bookstore […]

A Flash in the Pan

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda