Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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When You Stare into the Void, the Void Stares Back

Voidwalker by S. A. MacLean

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cbr17bingo – border: there are territorial disputes I think this is my first monster romance, so that was interesting. This is a romantasy set in a world divided into countless Planes within the Void. While anyone can—with help— traverse the Season-Locked Planes in which the book is set, Voidwalkers like main character Fi are able to do so independently. The book is focused primarily on the Winter Plane, which is ruled by monsters known as daeyari, who rely on human sacrifices. Antal is the lenient […]

A mediocre cozy fantasy, might still be worth your time if you really love animals.

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean

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A socially anxious zookeeper working in phoenix conservation gets the chance of a lifetime to breed phoenixes and falls in love with her rival/frenemy from the griffin show in the process. Sounds nice, right? Books like this one almost frustrate me more than the real stinkers that deserve one or two stars. It’s ALMOST there for me. The premise=great. The themes=great. A convergence of genres that I love, plus magical animals and nerds=great. But none of it came together the way I wanted it to, […]

A fantasy zoo that is a love letter to the importance of conservation

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

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First and very importantly, Thank You CoffeeShopReader!  I thoroughly enjoyed The Phoenix Keeper.  It was a perfect book to close out a year that required lighter reading due to life challenges.  Also there was an added layer of fun as the zoo and location were clearly inspired by San Diego and our world famous zoo. As phoenix keeper at the magical San Tamculo Zoo, Aila is close to achieving a lifelong dream.  Overseeing a breeding pair of critically endangered Silimalo phoenixes and helping to bring them […]

A Magical Zoo Adventure

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

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This was a charming cozy romantasy with great diversity and mental health representation. It takes place primarily in a zoo of magical creatures, and it was a pleasure to see MacLean’s creativity as she described these animals. Main character Aila is the phoenix keeper at the zoo and has been trying for years to reboot a breeding program for the endangered Silimalo phoenix. When a neighboring zoo loses their phoenix hatchlings and their mother to poachers, Aila’s zoo is given the opportunity to try a […]



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