Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Magical Historical Fiction

The Antidote by Karen Russel

April 15, 2026 by G.D. Giant 2 Comments

From the afterword/Lost Land Acknowledgement by Dr. James Riding In: “The Antidote uses fantastical conceits to illuminate the holes in people’s private and collective memories, the willful omissions passed down generation to generation, and the myths that have been used by the U.S. government and White settlers to justify crimes against the citizens of Native Nations and the theft of Native lands.” And the author uses those fantastical conceits very well. The Antidote is a beautifully written, sad, interesting, and clever novel. It’s a fantastic […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History Tagged With: American History, anticolonialism, historical fiction, Karen Russel, magical realism, Native Lands, Nebraska, the great depression, The Great Plains, witches

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:6 · Genres: Fiction, History · Tags: American History, anticolonialism, historical fiction, Karen Russel, magical realism, Native Lands, Nebraska, the great depression, The Great Plains, witches ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments
Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin book cover featuring illustrated Black couple kissing in front of a half moon with starry Black backgroud

Is it magic or summer love?

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin

December 27, 2025 by teresaelectro 1 Comment

Witchful Thinking introduces us to Freya Grove, a seaside small town in New Jersey. Kindhearted, curvy Black teacher Lucy has lived here her whole life, as have her sisters and cousins. She is a witch and has a little tea-reading business on the side. She is feeling unaccomplished with her high school reunion looming at the end of summer. She unexpectedly runs into her former crush and friend, Alex, who is a very handsome Black merman. His resurgence kicks her overthinking brain into high gear. […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: Black romance, Celestine Martin, elemental love, mermen, new jersey, paranormal romance, witches

teresaelectro's CBR17 Review No:10 · Genres: Romance · Tags: Black romance, Celestine Martin, elemental love, mermen, new jersey, paranormal romance, witches ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

Witches and Nazis and Ghosts – Oh My

A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan

November 25, 2025 by Jen K Leave a Comment

The author definitely has potential and I’d be curious to see what else she does but I’d say the novel is a solid 3 – really interesting ideas but there were plot points that could have been fleshed out more to make it stronger. Other themes and plot were very much conventional (mother-daughter conflicts, the old ways vs the new ways, and I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised by the twist) but within that, there are some very emotional and moving scenes. […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, History Tagged With: Morgan Ryan, witches, World War II

Jen K's CBR17 Review No:116 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, History · Tags: Morgan Ryan, witches, World War II ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

In time for Halloween 2026

Scritch! Scratch!: An Itchy, Witchy Halloween Tale by Teri Sloat

November 19, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Just so you know, this book is due late July 2026. Yes, I read via an online reader a book due in the summer of 2026. So why bother with reviewing it in November 2025? Because you need to know about this new book. Scritch! Scratch!: An Itchy, Witchy Halloween Tale by Teri Sloat and illustrated by Zuzana Cupova might just become a classic.  You see, it is already halfway there with its classical looking illustrations. The black and white images, mixed in with sepia, […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: halloween, paranormal, Teri Sloat, witches, Zuzana Cupova

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:505 · Genres: Children's Books, Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: halloween, paranormal, Teri Sloat, witches, Zuzana Cupova ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Please, Re-read the Previous Book First

Queen Demon by Martha Wells

November 1, 2025 by LittlePlat 4 Comments

So, I did mention I had more than one Martha Wells book to attend to today, and this is the tricker one to write about. I read Witch King  earlier this year, and while I very much liked it, there were, I thought, some notable flaws. Witch King had a dual narrative, with each of the two branches separated by over fifty years. And within these fifty years, there have been some significant political changes that are sometimes a little hard to grasp because of […]

Filed Under: Fantasy Tagged With: #fantasy, cbr17bingo, demons, fantasy series, fish out of water, martha wells, Migrant, witches

LittlePlat's CBR17 Review No:35 · Genres: Fantasy · Tags: #fantasy, cbr17bingo, demons, fantasy series, fish out of water, martha wells, Migrant, witches ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments

Colton Fox liked my Instagram picture for these

Witch Hazel by Colton Fox and Beige Blum

Witch Hazel Trouble at TCAF by Colton Fox and Beige Blum

Witch Hazel: Seasons of the Witch by Colton Fox and Beige Blum

October 29, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

A few months ago, my Silver Sprocket subscription selections mostly hit the mark. One that was really good was the Witch Hazel series by Colton Fox and Beige Blum. The one I read was a stand alone, but also a continuation of three others. The first aptly named, Witch Hazel, the second Witch Hazel Trouble at TCAF (or One Shot, I’ve seen both) and the third Witch Hazel: Seasons of the Witch. (Or that is the second and TCAF is the third … I am […]

Filed Under: Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Suspense, Young Adult Tagged With: Beige Blum, Colton Fox, Colton Fox and Beige Blum, friendship, paranormal, witches, women

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:476 · Genres: Comedy/Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Suspense, Young Adult · Tags: Beige Blum, Colton Fox, Colton Fox and Beige Blum, friendship, paranormal, witches, women ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Tracy
    on Early Fantasy: Long Stories in Which Not Much Happens
    That almost sounds "so bad it's good," and I might need to check it out.
  • louise
    on High expectations led to disappointment
    I totally agree with what you wrote. I already read this book and found it extremely complicated to understand the...
  • Ashlea
    on This standalone fantasy goes incredibly hard.
    Just finished this amazing story. Eyes are still damp. I had it queued on my Libby app for several weeks...
  • finnyfinfinn
    on Les Amis Des Chats
    It did seem to come a little bit out of nowhere fast but I enjoyed everything else so much I...
  • finnyfinfinn
    on Les Amis Des Chats
    It's very sweet!
See More Recent Comments »

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