en-US Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:59:55 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 191754348
When Lor and Nadir team up to search for a lost item that holds the key to her past and her future, she isn’t sure she can trust him. All she knows is she��won’t��fall for another royal fae’s promises again.

With the Sun King determined to reclaim her, Lor must keep on the move, but nowhere is safe. Not until she destroys him and the Aurora King. But she soon learns that the future of Ouranos depends on much more than avenging her shattered legacy. ���ձ�> 512 Nisha J. Tuli 1538767651 Susan 3
Somewhere between a 2 1/2 and 3 ]]> 3.89 2023
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Susan
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves: disappointing, fantasy, magic, meh, mystery, relationships, romance, second-chance, series
review:
Well, that was disappointing.

Somewhere between a 2 1/2 and 3
]]> 191755077 Ten women. A deadly contest. Only one can win the Sun King's heart.

Lor has endured twelve long years of torment under the Aurora King’s rule. Her only desire is to escape and pay him back for every moment of misery she's endured.

When a surprise release finds her in the hands of the rival Sun King, Lor is thrust into the spotlight as she competes against nine other Tributes for the role of queen. If she wins his heart, she'll earn her freedom and finally get her revenge.

But Lor doesn't belong in the Sun Queen Trials. Not only does she not understand why she was freed, she isn’t a citizen of the Sun King’s court. The other Tributes resent her presence and will stop at nothing to ensure Lor is removed from the competition, permanently.

Now Lor must win, because if she loses, she dies. Or worse, she'll be returned to the evil—and now vengeful—Aurora King.]]> 400 Nisha J. Tuli 1538767481 Susan 4
The FMC is tough and scrappy, surviving situations that stretch believability on her quest to save her family and understand her destiny. The MMCs are big, strong, striking and broody. There isn’t a whole lot that is new here but it was a lot of fun to read. I always struggle when modern items are placed in fantasy realms - like coffee and hairspray - but I didn’t even mind those dabbled in here. It’s a good time and I’ve already moved on to the next book in the series. ]]> 3.81 2023
author: Nisha J. Tuli
name: Susan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: fantasy, gets-better-half-way, magic, mystery, relationships, second-chance, series
review:
That was surprisingly good! I went into this not expecting a lot but it turned out to be an enjoyable read. Imagine The Bachelor with a Survivor format set in a Fae realm and you’ve pretty much landed it. The book definitely grew on me and started to build momentum once the games in the Trial began.

The FMC is tough and scrappy, surviving situations that stretch believability on her quest to save her family and understand her destiny. The MMCs are big, strong, striking and broody. There isn’t a whole lot that is new here but it was a lot of fun to read. I always struggle when modern items are placed in fantasy realms - like coffee and hairspray - but I didn’t even mind those dabbled in here. It’s a good time and I’ve already moved on to the next book in the series.
]]> 63910262 In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching.

Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders.

If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom.

And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.]]> 437 Rachel Gillig 0356519503 Susan 5 4.39 2023
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Susan
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: 2025-best, book-boyfriend, family, fantasy, favorites, magic, relationships, romance, series, suspense, mystery, own-a-copy
review:
So many stars. This was a great duology. I loved the first book and this second book was even better. The unique and complicated magic system and the interesting and engaging characters are so well done. The world building is amazing. I can’t say enough about this series. I couldn’t stop reading but I didn’t want it to end. There is mystery, tension, surprise, intrigue, danger, family, love, darkness��.on and on. Excellent books! These will definitely be a re-read and high on my favorites list.
]]> 58340706
Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets.

But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason.

Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.]]> 399 Rachel Gillig 0316312487 Susan 5
This book is absolutely worth all of the hype. I couldn’t put it down except when I wanted to delay finishing it. The writing is very good and the author brings the magic and the ambience to life in such a satisfying and believable way. Loved it. It’s going on the favorites list. I will read this one again. ]]> 4.25 2022
author: Rachel Gillig
name: Susan
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: 2025-best, book-boyfriend, character-driven, family, fantasy, favorites, magic, mystery, own-a-copy, relationships, romance, series, suspense
review:
Wow, that was soooo good! What a great book. The magic system is complex and so different. I wasn’t sure how the monster in her head would play out but it really was well done. The world building is great and there is plenty of backstory and explanation to understand the what’s and whys of everything. The characters are interesting and diverse (I love Elm) and the theme of family and going to any length to protect someone you love is very believably executed.

This book is absolutely worth all of the hype. I couldn’t put it down except when I wanted to delay finishing it. The writing is very good and the author brings the magic and the ambience to life in such a satisfying and believable way. Loved it. It’s going on the favorites list. I will read this one again.
]]> 199927030 The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes—just in case—from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons�� investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie’s sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie’s sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months—for only then can they get back everything and everyone they’ve lost.]]> 352 Meg Shaffer 0593598873 Susan 2
The first half of the book was good - built tension in the plot, drew me in and I wanted to know so much more. What happened, where did the boys go? And just about the mid-way point is when everything fell apart.

The writing style, the dialogue and the relationships were all awkward and contrived. I had a hard time believing these characters were in their 20s and 30s. They spoke and acted like they were in their early teens. Plus there was no scene or mood setting at all. It was all tell and the characters all just presented as flat. There was one scene where the author included a line to tell readers the character was afraid and it’s a good thing because nothing about that scene conveyed fear. It was bad.

There was a nice romance with great potential that was also handled badly. Again it was contrived, awkward and unconvincing. And don’t get me started on the world building or the lack thereof. That was a total cop out.

It seems to me this book took on way too much scope for this author’s ability to handle it. Either that or she needs a new editor. Or maybe both.

I really, really enjoyed The Wishing Game but this book was a disappointment. I struggled to finish. It looks like it will be a series so I’ll have to wait awhile for a hopeful return to the style of The Wishing Game with this author. ]]> 3.78 2024
author: Meg Shaffer
name: Susan
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/28
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: coming-of-age, disappointing, fantasy, lgbtq, magic, relationships, second-chance
review:
Unfortunately, this book fell very short for me.

The first half of the book was good - built tension in the plot, drew me in and I wanted to know so much more. What happened, where did the boys go? And just about the mid-way point is when everything fell apart.

The writing style, the dialogue and the relationships were all awkward and contrived. I had a hard time believing these characters were in their 20s and 30s. They spoke and acted like they were in their early teens. Plus there was no scene or mood setting at all. It was all tell and the characters all just presented as flat. There was one scene where the author included a line to tell readers the character was afraid and it’s a good thing because nothing about that scene conveyed fear. It was bad.

There was a nice romance with great potential that was also handled badly. Again it was contrived, awkward and unconvincing. And don’t get me started on the world building or the lack thereof. That was a total cop out.

It seems to me this book took on way too much scope for this author’s ability to handle it. Either that or she needs a new editor. Or maybe both.

I really, really enjoyed The Wishing Game but this book was a disappointment. I struggled to finish. It looks like it will be a series so I’ll have to wait awhile for a hopeful return to the style of The Wishing Game with this author.
]]> 44421460 What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?]]> 213 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529029589 Susan 2 3.66 2015
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Susan
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: book-club-read, character-driven, cultural, disappointing, dnf, ghosts, magic, meh, second-chance
review:
It’s a DNF for me. I really like the premise but the execution is just not working for me. There needs to be so much more to these stories. The oversimplification of the plot lines along with the choppy writing style make this a miss for me. I started skim reading the first story and didn’t feel like I had missed anything so I skimmed the second and third stories and felt the same way. As I started the same approach to the final story it came to a full stop for me. I understood the intention of pulling at the heart strings but, nope, that was a cop out way to get there. Too convenient and too unrealistic. Just not the book for me.
]]> 127305713
Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe �� a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution �� who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch�� is falling in love.]]> 406 Kristen Ciccarelli 1250866901 Susan 4
Rune and Gideon were nicely developed and destined for tragedy. Their tormented lives and equally tormented evolving relationship were nicely tense and believably conflicted. The war between witches and the rest is interesting and left me wanting more information. Why is it okay to be a witch on the mainland yet on their island witches are hunted and put to death? More of that missing world build and backstory. I’d have liked more of the witches and witchcraft. I’m anticipating that will come in the next book.

You’re left with a nice little cliffhanger so it’s a good thing the second book will arrive soon!

]]> 4.16 2024
author: Kristen Ciccarelli
name: Susan
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: character-driven, fantasy, magic, relationships, romance, series
review:
Worth all of the hype! I couldn’t put this one down. While there isn’t much in the way of world building or backstory, the plot and the characters make it an exciting read. You’re thrown right into the fray and the pace carries you quickly along.

Rune and Gideon were nicely developed and destined for tragedy. Their tormented lives and equally tormented evolving relationship were nicely tense and believably conflicted. The war between witches and the rest is interesting and left me wanting more information. Why is it okay to be a witch on the mainland yet on their island witches are hunted and put to death? More of that missing world build and backstory. I’d have liked more of the witches and witchcraft. I’m anticipating that will come in the next book.

You’re left with a nice little cliffhanger so it’s a good thing the second book will arrive soon!


]]> 6087756
Cassel is cursed. Cursed by the memory of the fourteen year old girl he murdered. Life at school is a constant trial. Life at home even worse. No-one at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at home is ever going to forget that he isn't a magic worker.

Cassel's family are one of the big five crime families in America. Ever since magic was prohibited in 1929 magic workers have been driven underground and into crime. And while people still need their touch, their curses, their magical killings, their transformations, times have been hard. His granddad has been driven to drink, his mother is in prison and his brothers detest him as the only one of their family who can't do magic.

But there is a secret at the centre of Cassel's family and he's about to inherit it. It's terrfying and that's the truth.

The White Cat is a stunning novel of a world changed by magic. In this world only 1% of the population can work magic but they have the power of nightmares.]]> 310 Holly Black Susan 4 3.80 2010
author: Holly Black
name: Susan
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/26
date added: 2024/09/10
shelves: magic, urban-fantasy, re-read, series
review:
This is a great fast-paced twisting book about organized crime built around magic. What a creative and complicated plot! The use of magic as a weapon and means to power is criminalized, creating a sub-culture of “workers�� fighting discrimination, hate and fear in their own form of organized crime. Great concept! I’m on to book #2!
]]> 156009464
Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading.

But this is no ordinary book��

It is the Book of Doors.

Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.

Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them.

Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books. With only her roommate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors—and the other books in his secret library’s care—from those who will do evil. Because only Drummond knows where the unique library is and only Cassie’s book can get them there.

But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets. And a dark force—in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman—is at the very top of that list.]]> 404 Gareth Brown 0063323982 Susan 5
This was great - what an intricate and interesting story! I loved it. There are so many twists and turns here that it kept my attention locked in. I could not put this book down and I’m still thinking about it.

There is magic realism and time travel galore and it all centers around books as the source. There is a lovely hodgepodge of unusual characters - some of whom are endearing and heroic, some of whom are purely evil. The time travel and magic were well explained so that all of the events made sense. The friendships found was such a nice centerpiece for the story, keeping a balanced focus on the characters and their relationships. There are some big surprises, some touching moments and some mean and nasty bits all entwined in a complicated and interesting plot. Loved it!!

I ]]> 4.01 2024
author: Gareth Brown
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/03
date added: 2024/09/03
shelves: 2024-best-of, character-driven, favorites, magic, mystery, relationships, thriller
review:
5 big ⭐️!!

This was great - what an intricate and interesting story! I loved it. There are so many twists and turns here that it kept my attention locked in. I could not put this book down and I’m still thinking about it.

There is magic realism and time travel galore and it all centers around books as the source. There is a lovely hodgepodge of unusual characters - some of whom are endearing and heroic, some of whom are purely evil. The time travel and magic were well explained so that all of the events made sense. The friendships found was such a nice centerpiece for the story, keeping a balanced focus on the characters and their relationships. There are some big surprises, some touching moments and some mean and nasty bits all entwined in a complicated and interesting plot. Loved it!!

I
]]> 173404023
Leap years are a strange, enchanted time. And for some, even a single February can be life-changing.

Ricki Wilde has many talents, but being a Wilde isn’t one of them. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the opposite of her famous socialite sisters. Where they’re long-stemmed roses, she’s a dandelion: an adorable bloom that’s actually a weed, born to float wherever the wind blows. In her bones, Ricki knows that somewhere, a different, more exciting life awaits her.

When regal nonagenarian, Ms. Della, invites her to rent the bottom floor of her Harlem brownstone, Ricki jumps at the chance for a fresh beginning. She leaves behind her family, wealth, and chaotic romantic decisions to realize her dream of opening a flower shop. And just beneath the surface of her new neighborhood, the music, stories and dazzling drama of the Harlem Renaissance still simmers.

One evening in February as the heady, curiously off-season scent of night-blooming jasmine fills the air, Ricki encounters a handsome, deeply mysterious stranger who knocks her world off balance in the most unexpected way.

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.]]> 352 Tia Williams 153872670X Susan 2 3.97 2024
author: Tia Williams
name: Susan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: cultural, disappointing, dnf, magic, relationships, romance
review:
DNF at 60%. This one just isn’t working for me. I have whiplash. There will be sections that are so well written and engaging and then I’ll hit a run that feels so cheesy - it got confusing. I loved the history of Harlem and Breeze’s content kept me interested. Ultimately, though, I didn’t really like Ricki much and I didn’t feel any real chemistry or connection between the two of them. It felt rushed and forced. I’m a huge fan of magic realism but this take on it didn’t work for me. Not all bad just not right enough for me right now.
]]> 49826643
Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders�� intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future�� or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders�� deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.]]> 520 Carissa Broadbent Susan 5 Wow 4.03 2020
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/05/14
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves: book-boyfriend, fantasy, favorites, magic, relationships, romance, series
review:
Wow
]]> 123257687
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.]]> 342 Hannah Nicole Maehrer 1649375808 Susan 5 3.88 2023
author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
name: Susan
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/14
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves: book-boyfriend, fantasy, favorites, humor, magic, romance, series, 2024-best-of
review:
Love this!! This book is silly, funny, charming, touching and just so much fun. Are you kidding?? The banter alone between The Villain and his assistant, Evie, is worth the price of admission. I loved everything about this. Great characters - all of them, supporting and main - silly but edgy fantasy story, good guys and bad guys and a lot in between, romance with so much slow burn and angst!! The world building evolves with the book and there is tension in the plot as bits of the backstory are revealed right up to the very end. Huge cliffhanger, though, so you have to be ready for that! Many questions are still unanswered but I loved every minute of it. Can’t wait for books 2 and 3!!
]]> 60714999 Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always �� always �� guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown�� and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone �� but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.]]> 504 Carissa Broadbent Susan 5 4.30 2022
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Susan
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/07
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves: book-boyfriend, character-driven, coming-of-age, fantasy, favorites, magic, mythology, relationships, romance, series, 2024-best-of
review:
Oh ho, so good!! I blazed through this book, it was so good. It’s so satisfying to read a fantasy book that lands the world building and the characters, all of which was so well done here. Plus, the twists and turns and unexpected events at the end of the book had me gasping and re-reading sections just to be sure I had it straight! Couldn’t get enough of the battles and of Raihn and Oraya’s challenges and building relationship. I am moving immediately to book 2 to see where this is going now.
]]> 62335396 Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power �� and the devastating love that could be her downfall.]]> 626 Carissa Broadbent Susan 5 4.10 2023
author: Carissa Broadbent
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2024/04/16
shelves: book-boyfriend, character-driven, fantasy, favorites, magic, mythology, relationships, romance, second-chance, series, 2024-best-of
review:
A great conclusion to the story. I really enjoyed this series and was very happy to find this second installment was just about as good as the first. There is a lot of excitement, surprises and twists plus the world building is very well done. The main characters have so much depth and Oraya, the FMC, really grew as a character in this second book. Raihn, the MMC, is just the best. Interesting story, intriguing world, great characters, very nice relationship between the two main characters!
]]> 127280062 Torn apart by war. Reunited by love?

Two weeks have passed since Iris returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over.

Roman is missing, lost behind enemy lines, with no memory of his past, or Iris. Hoping his memories return, he begins to write again �� but this time for the enemy.

When a strange letter arrives through his wardrobe door, he strikes up a correspondence with a penpal who seems at once mysterious�� and strangely familiar.

As their connection deepens, the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.]]> 420 Rebecca Ross 1250857457 Susan 3
I really enjoyed Divine Rivals and was taken by surprise by the unusual premise of Gods living along mortals in what felt like a slightly magical 1930’s London. The main characters, Iris and Roman, were strong individually and even stronger as a pair. In Ruthless Vows, I did have many of my questions about how this unusual world came to be along with the backstory on the Gods and their relationships to each other and the mortal world. That was good! Also, Ross�� writing style is very pretty and descriptive so I find that enjoyable.

However, the connection between Iris and Roman was very minimal in this book which was disappointing. Further, Roman’s character - so strong and dependable in Divine Rivals - became so weak and self-doubting in this book that I found him often foolish and cowardly. That’s not the Roman I remember. Iris and Roman spend very little time connected or together at all in this book and that was a takeaway. Also, there were times when I was simply bored. It was great to have such a seamless continuation of the first book but it felt like it lacked in plot depth and curve balls so much that certain sections just dragged.

I’m glad I read it, glad it filled in the world gaps from the first book for me but overall it was just meh compared to the first book. ]]> 3.99 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Susan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/21
date added: 2024/02/21
shelves: disappointing, gets-better-half-way, magic, meh, mythology, relationships
review:
I have mixed emotions having read this followup to Divine Rivals. Unfortunately, the strongest emotion I feel is disappointment.

I really enjoyed Divine Rivals and was taken by surprise by the unusual premise of Gods living along mortals in what felt like a slightly magical 1930’s London. The main characters, Iris and Roman, were strong individually and even stronger as a pair. In Ruthless Vows, I did have many of my questions about how this unusual world came to be along with the backstory on the Gods and their relationships to each other and the mortal world. That was good! Also, Ross�� writing style is very pretty and descriptive so I find that enjoyable.

However, the connection between Iris and Roman was very minimal in this book which was disappointing. Further, Roman’s character - so strong and dependable in Divine Rivals - became so weak and self-doubting in this book that I found him often foolish and cowardly. That’s not the Roman I remember. Iris and Roman spend very little time connected or together at all in this book and that was a takeaway. Also, there were times when I was simply bored. It was great to have such a seamless continuation of the first book but it felt like it lacked in plot depth and curve balls so much that certain sections just dragged.

I’m glad I read it, glad it filled in the world gaps from the first book for me but overall it was just meh compared to the first book.
]]> 127542189
Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed . And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.

When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it's January 1 . . . of last year . ��As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.
���ձ�> 336 Melissa Wiesner Susan 4 3.95 2023
author: Melissa Wiesner
name: Susan
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/16
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves: book-boyfriend, character-driven, chic-lit, magic, romance, second-chance, social-message
review:
Very nice story that’s much more than a romance. This is a story about losing and then rediscovering yourself - what you’re made of and what you’re willing to stand for. This is very much a story of misogyny and the inappropriate yet socially acceptable behaviors that women deal with every day. What’s more is it’s about the resulting psychological conditioning of women to accept those behaviors and even blame themselves for them. Sad and true commentary that was handled well as the FMC, Sadie, recognizes and eventually refuses those behaviors in herself. There is also a nice love story that plays along the very same lines - sometimes what society, our parents, social media tell us we should want is not all what is right for us. Definitely enjoyed the writing and the story and will read more by Ms. Wiesner!
]]> 112976344 By the New York Times bestselling author of Just Haven't Met You Yet, a downtrodden twenty-six-year-old wakes up to the life she's always wanted, but is it really a dream come true?

At twenty-six, Lucy Young is tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, tired of going on disastrous dates, and definitely tired of living in a damp flat share with flatmates who never buy toilet roll. She could quit her job for a better living, but she's not ready to give up on her dreams. Not just yet. After another diabolical date lands her in a sudden storm and no money for bus fare, Lucy finds herself seeking shelter in a tiny shop, where she stumbles upon a curious wishing machine. Pushing her last coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with everything she's got: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life.

When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and storybook perfect little boy and baby girl, Lucy can't believe this is real--especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own forty-something face. Has she really skipped ahead to the future she's always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? And as Lucy begins to embrace this new life and new relationships, she'll have to ask herself: Can she go back, and if so, does she want to?]]> 368 Sophie Cousens 0593539893 Susan 4
I enjoyed this story and the supporting characters. I liked how Lucy’s future marriage was handled and how Sam struggled with staying connected to the “new�� Lucy’s changes but stayed committed. How they rediscovered each other through Lucy’s amnesia. I also liked how well it showed how caught up in every day life’s tasks we become, forgetting to just stop and be present, have fun and prioritize being with the people we love.

Another winner from Sophie Cousens full of strong messages, humor and the strength in relationships.]]> 4.00 2023
author: Sophie Cousens
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/11
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves: book-boyfriend, british, character-driven, chic-lit, humor, magic, relationships, romance, second-chance
review:
Sophie Cousens always delivers a thoughtful story with likable characters and I look forward to her books. In this story, twenty six year old Lucy makes a hasty wish to skip past all of the struggles in her young life and just get to the good part. When she wakes up the next morning in her own future she realizes how valuable and important the living of life is - for better or worst.

I enjoyed this story and the supporting characters. I liked how Lucy’s future marriage was handled and how Sam struggled with staying connected to the “new�� Lucy’s changes but stayed committed. How they rediscovered each other through Lucy’s amnesia. I also liked how well it showed how caught up in every day life’s tasks we become, forgetting to just stop and be present, have fun and prioritize being with the people we love.

Another winner from Sophie Cousens full of strong messages, humor and the strength in relationships.
]]> 60717747 It's difficult to find a husband in Regency England when you're a young lady with only half a soul.

Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs.

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul.

Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle in this enchanting historical fantasy, where the only thing more meddlesome than faeries is a marriage-minded mother.

Pick up HALF A SOUL, and be stolen away into Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!]]> 304 Olivia Atwater Susan 4 4.04 2020
author: Olivia Atwater
name: Susan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: book-boyfriend, british, fantasy, magic, romance, series
review:
Sweet mix of regency romance, fairy tale and mystery! A very pleasant read with fun characters. I hope that Elias and Dora are revisited in the second book in the series!
]]> 62926938 An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.

Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.

Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.

After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.]]> 336 Ashley Poston Susan 4
I was not a huge fan of The Dead Romantics - it was okay. The Seven Year Slip is much better. I really enjoyed the time travel theme and the relationship between Clementine and Iwan is very special and touching. They are so sweet together and how their connection moves through time was well done. I just wish more of the book had been about them!

I struggled through the first half of the book as Clementine came to terms with the loss of her aunt and reflected so much on their history. Once I hit the half way mark and the relationship between Clementine and Iwan gained more focus and momentum, I reconnected with the story.]]> 4.17 2023
author: Ashley Poston
name: Susan
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/29
date added: 2023/08/30
shelves: book-boyfriend, character-driven, chic-lit, gets-better-half-way, magic, relationships, romance, second-chance
review:
3 1/2 stars

I was not a huge fan of The Dead Romantics - it was okay. The Seven Year Slip is much better. I really enjoyed the time travel theme and the relationship between Clementine and Iwan is very special and touching. They are so sweet together and how their connection moves through time was well done. I just wish more of the book had been about them!

I struggled through the first half of the book as Clementine came to terms with the loss of her aunt and reflected so much on their history. Once I hit the half way mark and the relationship between Clementine and Iwan gained more focus and momentum, I reconnected with the story.
]]> 60468332
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before.

As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature.

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time�� The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.

Includes a Reading Group Guide.]]> 336 Lily Brooks-Dalton 1538708272 Susan 5
This story is sad and heartbreaking but also has hope and love throughout. The writing is simply wonderful. You can feel the heat, smell the ozone and fear the power of the ocean and storms. Unfortunately, the topic doesn’t seem remote or implausible especially sitting here looking at wildfires, droughts, the destruction of Lahaina and now a hurricane and tropical storms hitting Southern California for the first time in history. Just as the author describes, so much has changed. This book made me feel truly vulnerable.

Wanda and Phyllis are at the heart of this story but I will remember Kirby, Lucas and Frida just as well. All of them trying so hard to take care of their people and to make things better for everyone. They are all magical and insightful and they will each break your heart with their goodness.

Wonderful book, amazing writing, highly recommended.]]> 4.01 2022
author: Lily Brooks-Dalton
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/19
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves: book-club-read, character-driven, coming-of-age, family, favorites, magic, relationships, rural, sad, sci-fi
review:
Another stunning book by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Like her first book, Good Morning, Midnight, The Light Pirate takes us to the end of life as we know it. Instead of in space, this story looks to the environmental demise of Florida and the broader United States due to the ravages of extreme weather and the incompetence of the government to protect its constituents.

This story is sad and heartbreaking but also has hope and love throughout. The writing is simply wonderful. You can feel the heat, smell the ozone and fear the power of the ocean and storms. Unfortunately, the topic doesn’t seem remote or implausible especially sitting here looking at wildfires, droughts, the destruction of Lahaina and now a hurricane and tropical storms hitting Southern California for the first time in history. Just as the author describes, so much has changed. This book made me feel truly vulnerable.

Wanda and Phyllis are at the heart of this story but I will remember Kirby, Lucas and Frida just as well. All of them trying so hard to take care of their people and to make things better for everyone. They are all magical and insightful and they will each break your heart with their goodness.

Wonderful book, amazing writing, highly recommended.
]]> 60784546 After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again��

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands �� that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper �� an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.]]> 357 Rebecca Ross 1250857430 Susan 4
This book was two stories in one for me. The first felt like a 1930’s-ish (although it was actually the 1890s in the book’s world) Clark Kent and Lois Lane romance between two newspaper writers who secretly long for each other. The second is a mythological war between two gods using mortals and the towns where the story takes place to play out their dislike and anger towards each other, at the cost of human lives and worlds. Both stories are interesting with likeable and intriguing characters. What I struggled with is that the two stories didn’t really work together or connect well for me. The world building fell short and I had more questions than answers about the war, how and why it was playing out and what was happening beyond what seemed to be a very small battlefield. But, I ended up being okay with the low level confusion because I was so interested in how it would all end up and I liked the two main characters and the writing style quite a lot.

I’m counting on the second book in the series to fill in all of the gaps and missing information as well as to create more depth and connection to the mythological piece, the Gods at war and the rest of the supporting characters that were introduced, seeming significant, but who weren’t fully developed. I’ll have to wait until December if it all comes together!]]> 4.14 2023
author: Rebecca Ross
name: Susan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/28
date added: 2023/07/28
shelves: book-boyfriend, fantasy, magic, mythology, new-adult, romance, series
review:
So that was very interesting and not exactly what I was expecting but I liked it and I want to know what happens in the next book.

This book was two stories in one for me. The first felt like a 1930’s-ish (although it was actually the 1890s in the book’s world) Clark Kent and Lois Lane romance between two newspaper writers who secretly long for each other. The second is a mythological war between two gods using mortals and the towns where the story takes place to play out their dislike and anger towards each other, at the cost of human lives and worlds. Both stories are interesting with likeable and intriguing characters. What I struggled with is that the two stories didn’t really work together or connect well for me. The world building fell short and I had more questions than answers about the war, how and why it was playing out and what was happening beyond what seemed to be a very small battlefield. But, I ended up being okay with the low level confusion because I was so interested in how it would all end up and I liked the two main characters and the writing style quite a lot.

I’m counting on the second book in the series to fill in all of the gaps and missing information as well as to create more depth and connection to the mythological piece, the Gods at war and the rest of the supporting characters that were introduced, seeming significant, but who weren’t fully developed. I’ll have to wait until December if it all comes together!
]]> 1158967 In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.��

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants—from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys—except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.

When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down—along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy—if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom—or with each other.

Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own��.]]> 304 Sarah Addison Allen 0553805487 Susan 5 4.07 2007
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves: magic, chic-lit, favorites, character-driven, family, relationships
review:

]]> 59366231
1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia , one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.

1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck��

With her trademark “thrilling, mysterious, twisted, but more than anything, beautifully written�� (Graham Norton, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling, Jess Kidd weaves “a true work of magic�� (V.E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ) about friendship, sacrifice, brutality, and forgiveness.]]> 400 Jess Kidd 1982180811 Susan 4
In The Night Ship, Kidd shows the harsh realities of life on a six month journey by sea from Holland to Batavia in the 1620s that ends in a shipwreck, mutiny and the death of many of the individuals on board. The main character is a strong and courageous young girl named Mayken. There is also a parallel storyline of a young boy in 1989 who comes to the same island where the ship crashed to live with his grandfather.

I am a huge fan of Jess Kidd and her book Himself is one of my favorites. The writing in the Night Ship is phenomenal. I was drawn completely to Mayken’s story and all of the events of the Batavia’s maiden voyage. While it was interesting, I was not as captured by the story of Gil, the young boy in 1989. While there were many parallels, I didn’t feel that the two stories completely connected and also that Gil’s story was not as complete as Mayken’s. Also, the promise of dark magic from mysterious creatures come to life from fairy tales never came together and felt a little unfinished.

This is a dark and sad book, based on a tragic true story where so many lives were lost. I will read everything that Jess Kidd writes. While I didn’t enjoy the plot of this one as much as her other books, there is no doubt that she is an absolutely amazing writer.]]> 3.61 2022
author: Jess Kidd
name: Susan
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: book-club-read, character-driven, historical-fiction, magic, own-a-copy, sad
review:
I just love how Jess Kidd writes. Her writing is magical - draws me in and holds me. She can create so much imagery and depth in just a few words and sentences, it’s amazing.

In The Night Ship, Kidd shows the harsh realities of life on a six month journey by sea from Holland to Batavia in the 1620s that ends in a shipwreck, mutiny and the death of many of the individuals on board. The main character is a strong and courageous young girl named Mayken. There is also a parallel storyline of a young boy in 1989 who comes to the same island where the ship crashed to live with his grandfather.

I am a huge fan of Jess Kidd and her book Himself is one of my favorites. The writing in the Night Ship is phenomenal. I was drawn completely to Mayken’s story and all of the events of the Batavia’s maiden voyage. While it was interesting, I was not as captured by the story of Gil, the young boy in 1989. While there were many parallels, I didn’t feel that the two stories completely connected and also that Gil’s story was not as complete as Mayken’s. Also, the promise of dark magic from mysterious creatures come to life from fairy tales never came together and felt a little unfinished.

This is a dark and sad book, based on a tragic true story where so many lives were lost. I will read everything that Jess Kidd writes. While I didn’t enjoy the plot of this one as much as her other books, there is no doubt that she is an absolutely amazing writer.
]]> 31935329
From the moment he sets foot in Mulderrig, Mahony’s presence turns the village upside down. His uncannily familiar face and outsider’s ways cause a stir among the locals, who receive him with a mixture of curiosity (the men), excitement (the women), and suspicion (the pious). It seems that his mother, Orla Sweeney, had left quite an impression on this little town—dearly beloved to some, a scourge and a menace to others. But who would have had reason to get rid of her for good?

Determined to find answers, Mahony solicits the help of brash pot-stirrer and retired actress Mrs. Cauley, and the two concoct an ingenious plan to get the town talking, aided and abetted by a cast of eccentric characters, some from beyond the grave. What begins as a personal mission gradually becomes a quiet revolution: a young man and his town uniting against corruption of power, against those who seek to freeze their small worlds in time, to quash the sinister tides of progress and modernity come hell or high water. But what those people seem to forget is that Mahony has the dead on his side....

Centering on a small town rife with secrets and propelled by a twisting-and-turning plot, Himself is a gem of a book, a darkly comic mystery, and a beautiful tribute to the magic of language, legacy, and storytelling.]]> 402 Jess Kidd 1501145193 Susan 5
I loved this book. What an unusual, unexpected and creative adventure! This book is a glorious mixture of historical fiction (circa 1950/1970), Irish culture and folklore, magic, ghosts, humor, mystery, murder and just a touch of romance. It's all there wrapped up in a wonderful package of mesmerizing characters and simply beautiful writing. The first five pages stunned me (open-mouth and all) - and I was hooked.

Mahoney is an orphan, abandoned at an orphanage in Dublin when he was just an infant. When he receives some mysterious information about his beginnings, he decides to return to the place of his birth, Mulderrig, a small Irish village, to find out what happened to his mother. The village is put into a tail spin as a result of his charming good looks and the memories that his return awakens.

The characters in this village are something amazing. Mahoney befriends an elderly actress, Mrs. Cauley, who becomes his partner in unraveling the mystery of his mother's disappearance as well as his most trusted friend. She along with so many others are so vividly written and so funny! Jess Kidd's writing style is so beautiful and lyrical. Her attention to detail and atmosphere set up each scene and emotion so thoughtfully. I earmarked so many pages in the book because I just had to go back and read segments again.

While there is a lot of humor and light, there is sadness and darkness, as well. While Mahoney meets those that are his friends in the village, he meets many who are not his friend and most certainly were not kind to his mother. Everyone seems to have some piece of a secret and the end of his investigation is intense and shocking. In the end, along with solving the mystery of his mother's disappearance, he also discovers his family, his history, a connection to the people of this small village and a grounding for himself.

If you enjoy Irish stories at all and if you like a bit of magic and superstition, this is a great read. It's going on my Favorites list.



]]> 4.10 2017
author: Jess Kidd
name: Susan
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/20
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: favorites, magic, historical-fiction, character-driven, cultural, irish, own-a-copy, relationships, suspense
review:
This book was grand, just grand!

I loved this book. What an unusual, unexpected and creative adventure! This book is a glorious mixture of historical fiction (circa 1950/1970), Irish culture and folklore, magic, ghosts, humor, mystery, murder and just a touch of romance. It's all there wrapped up in a wonderful package of mesmerizing characters and simply beautiful writing. The first five pages stunned me (open-mouth and all) - and I was hooked.

Mahoney is an orphan, abandoned at an orphanage in Dublin when he was just an infant. When he receives some mysterious information about his beginnings, he decides to return to the place of his birth, Mulderrig, a small Irish village, to find out what happened to his mother. The village is put into a tail spin as a result of his charming good looks and the memories that his return awakens.

The characters in this village are something amazing. Mahoney befriends an elderly actress, Mrs. Cauley, who becomes his partner in unraveling the mystery of his mother's disappearance as well as his most trusted friend. She along with so many others are so vividly written and so funny! Jess Kidd's writing style is so beautiful and lyrical. Her attention to detail and atmosphere set up each scene and emotion so thoughtfully. I earmarked so many pages in the book because I just had to go back and read segments again.

While there is a lot of humor and light, there is sadness and darkness, as well. While Mahoney meets those that are his friends in the village, he meets many who are not his friend and most certainly were not kind to his mother. Everyone seems to have some piece of a secret and the end of his investigation is intense and shocking. In the end, along with solving the mystery of his mother's disappearance, he also discovers his family, his history, a connection to the people of this small village and a grounding for himself.

If you enjoy Irish stories at all and if you like a bit of magic and superstition, this is a great read. It's going on my Favorites list.




]]> 49649443
Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.

Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.]]> 369 Jess Kidd 1982121289 Susan 5 3.63 2019
author: Jess Kidd
name: Susan
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/06/14
shelves: character-driven, favorites, historical-fiction, magic, suspense
review:
Oh my, that bittersweet moment when a book you love ends. Jess Kidd has done it again. She has created an imaginative, intriguing story with writing that just captures you and won’t let you go. Her earlier book, Himself, is an absolute favorite of mine and I was nervous to start Things In Jars, dreading the potential disappointment that would follow such a good book. Well, there was no need to worry. Things in Jars has a very different storyline and is set in a different time but, man, is it good! It brings its own cast of unexpected and entertaining characters as well as a mystery entwined with complex and overlapping relationships. And, of course, there’s some magic. Just love, love, love the way Jess Kidd writes. She is a favorite and this book is just wonderful. My only wish would be for a little more closure between Ruby and Bridie at the end. The finish for their relationship felt too fast but that’s mostly because I liked them both so much I wasn’t ready to be done with them. 5 stars are not enough. If you haven’t read Himself yet, you need to read that one, too.
]]> 77286260
In the early 1900s, two sisters��must navigate the magic and the dangers of the Fae in this��enchanting and cozy��historical fantasy about sisterhood and self-discovery.

There is no magic on Prospect Hill—or anywhere else, for that matter. But just on the other side of the veil is the world of the Fae. Generations ago, the first farmers on Prospect Hill learned to bargain small trades to make their lives a little easier—a bit of glass to find something lost, a cup of milk for better layers in the chicken coop.

Much of that old wisdom��was��lost as the riverboats gave way to the rail lines and the farmers took work at��mills and factories. Alaine Fairborn’s family, however, was always superstitious, and she still hums the rhymes to find��a��lost shoe and��to��ensure dry weather on her sister’s wedding day.

When Delphine confides��her new husband is not the man she thought he was, Alaine will stop at nothing to help her sister escape��him. Small bargains buy them��time, but a major one is needed. Yet, the price for true freedom may be more than they’re willing to pay.]]> 400 Rowenna Miller 0316378577 Susan 3
The premise and the writing are both really nice. The only problem is that there is just too much writing. There is too much detail and filling content and it made the story drag. I skim read quite a bit of the second half of the book and don’t feel I missed much. If some keen editing had shaved about 75 pages of really unnecessary content the story would have kept me constantly on edge and engaged.

It’s still a nice read but just a little too much content that caused it to stall. I will definitely try another book by this author. ]]> 3.65 2023
author: Rowenna Miller
name: Susan
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/12
shelves: character-driven, family, magic, meh, rural
review:
I did enjoy this book. It has a wonderful premise of a family of women in the early part of the 20th century who are connected to the Fae, bargaining with them to assure good crops, fine weather and finding lost things. When the marriage of one of the girls turns unhappy and abusive, the girls escalate their bargaining and the results become more dangerous and costly.

The premise and the writing are both really nice. The only problem is that there is just too much writing. There is too much detail and filling content and it made the story drag. I skim read quite a bit of the second half of the book and don’t feel I missed much. If some keen editing had shaved about 75 pages of really unnecessary content the story would have kept me constantly on edge and engaged.

It’s still a nice read but just a little too much content that caused it to stall. I will definitely try another book by this author.
]]> 43822698 Be careful of the dark, dark wood��

Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even.

Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he’d been missing.

But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver’s presence. And it’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago.

For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.

From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.]]> 323 Shea Ernshaw 1534439412 Susan 4
The beginning of the book grabbed me right away with the introduction of the main character, Nora, and the wild and dangerous Wicker Woods near her home. There is a terrible storm and everyone in the area is isolated from the rest of the world - no phones, no road, no electricity. And, of course, someone is missing in the woods!

The middle of the book became a bit repetitive to me and my attention drifted a little. Near the end, though, things got interesting again and I was quickly re-invested! There are some twists at the end that I knew were coming, I just didn’t know exactly what they would be. Plenty of foreshadowing raised my suspicions but I didn’t know exactly how they would unfold so there was still some surprise.

I would have liked a little more depth to the characters but the lack did not ruin the story. Very enjoyable. ]]> 3.81 2019
author: Shea Ernshaw
name: Susan
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/29
date added: 2023/05/29
shelves: character-driven, magic, romance, suspense
review:
I do enjoy books about witches! This is a nice story that has just the right amount of mystery and spookiness. The writing is lovely and feels, at times, almost like an extended poem.

The beginning of the book grabbed me right away with the introduction of the main character, Nora, and the wild and dangerous Wicker Woods near her home. There is a terrible storm and everyone in the area is isolated from the rest of the world - no phones, no road, no electricity. And, of course, someone is missing in the woods!

The middle of the book became a bit repetitive to me and my attention drifted a little. Near the end, though, things got interesting again and I was quickly re-invested! There are some twists at the end that I knew were coming, I just didn’t know exactly what they would be. Plenty of foreshadowing raised my suspicions but I didn’t know exactly how they would unfold so there was still some surprise.

I would have liked a little more depth to the characters but the lack did not ruin the story. Very enjoyable.
]]> 60018635 A warm and uplifting novel about an isolated witch whose opportunity to embrace a quirky new family--and a new love--changes the course of her life.

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don't mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she's used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos pretending to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.

But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and...Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he's concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika begins to find her place at Nowhere House, the thought of belonging somewhere begins to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and when a threat comes knocking at their door, Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect a found family she didn't know she was looking for....
]]> 318 Sangu Mandanna 059343935X Susan 4
I really liked how the magic fits into the everyday life of the witches and growing up with magic is all about figuring out how to keep it in check and give it direction. The story makes magic feel real and possible and gives it a personality. It also gives a lot of personality to the different characters in the book, all of whom are funny, unique and entertaining.

Fun book, great plot, lovable characters and lots of magic!]]> 4.04 2022
author: Sangu Mandanna
name: Susan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/15
date added: 2023/05/15
shelves: british, character-driven, magic, relationships, romance
review:
This is a sweet little story about witches in the world today and how many of them search for love and acceptance. Mika is at the heart of the story - a witch always feeling unaccepted and unworthy of love because she’s been raised to hide her magic to protect herself. When she lands in an unusual home with three young witches to teach she finds out what real love is all about.

I really liked how the magic fits into the everyday life of the witches and growing up with magic is all about figuring out how to keep it in check and give it direction. The story makes magic feel real and possible and gives it a personality. It also gives a lot of personality to the different characters in the book, all of whom are funny, unique and entertaining.

Fun book, great plot, lovable characters and lots of magic!
]]> 60654349 I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.]]> 329 Emilia Hart 125028080X Susan 5
This is an amazing book that follows three Weyward women - Altha in 1619, Kate in 2019 and Violet in 1942 and throughout her life. The story is gothic, magical and suspenseful - filled with strong women discovering their own personal power against the evils that lie in bad, hateful men and unforgiving times.

What an exceptional debut. The writing here is deep, descriptive, evocative and emotionally wrenching at times. The three main characters as well as the people in their lives are so well developed and every scene is so well described that I could see it clearly in my minds eye. The author has created some very strong and magical women who faced horrible challenges as well as some very, very awful men who were the cause of their pain. Graham, Henry and Adam manage to keep hope alive for their gender but just barely.

Weyward captured me from the very first page and never let go. A wonderful story, beautifully written with witchcraft, suspense and the power of the connection between and among women. Highly, highly recommended!!]]> 4.03 2023
author: Emilia Hart
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/29
date added: 2023/04/29
shelves: book-club-read, british, character-driven, family, favorites, historical-fiction, magic, suspense
review:
5 wonderful, witchy stars ⭐️ and an addition to my favorites list.

This is an amazing book that follows three Weyward women - Altha in 1619, Kate in 2019 and Violet in 1942 and throughout her life. The story is gothic, magical and suspenseful - filled with strong women discovering their own personal power against the evils that lie in bad, hateful men and unforgiving times.

What an exceptional debut. The writing here is deep, descriptive, evocative and emotionally wrenching at times. The three main characters as well as the people in their lives are so well developed and every scene is so well described that I could see it clearly in my minds eye. The author has created some very strong and magical women who faced horrible challenges as well as some very, very awful men who were the cause of their pain. Graham, Henry and Adam manage to keep hope alive for their gender but just barely.

Weyward captured me from the very first page and never let go. A wonderful story, beautifully written with witchcraft, suspense and the power of the connection between and among women. Highly, highly recommended!!
]]> 61198118 Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1��New York Times��bestselling author Holly Black.��

A runaway queen. A reluctant prince. And a quest that may destroy them both.
��
Eight years have passed since the Battle of the Serpent. But in the icy north, Lady Nore of the Court of Teeth has reclaimed the Ice Needle Citadel. There, she is using an ancient relic to create monsters of stick and snow who will do her bidding and exact her revenge.
��
Suren, child queen of the Court of Teeth, and the one person with power over her mother, fled to the human world. There, she lives feral in the woods. Lonely, and still haunted by the merciless torments she endured in the Court of Teeth, she bides her time by releasing mortals from foolish bargains.��She believes herself forgotten until the storm hag, Bogdana chases her through the night streets. Suren is saved by none other than Prince Oak, heir to Elfhame, to whom she was once promised in marriage and who she has resented for years.��
��
Now seventeen, Oak is charming, beautiful, and manipulative.��He’s on a mission that will lead him into the��north, and he wants Suren’s help. But if she agrees, it will mean guarding her heart against the boy she once knew and a prince she cannot trust, as well as confronting all the horrors she thought she left behind.
���ձ�> 11 Holly Black 1549135031 Susan 4
It took me a little while to connect with the story but I think that was because it jumped fully and rapidly into the world of Folk of the Air and I needed a little time to get caught back up. It’s been a few years since I finished that great series and I had to reconnect.

While not quite as good as FOTA, it’s close and this book certainly brought me back to the magic of that world with some of the familiar characters and some new ones. The world building and character descriptions were so good and the ending is loaded with surprises!

It was great to revisit the FOTA world and now I’m ready for the second book in the series which I suspect and hope will have more than just references to Jude and Cardan. It’s gonna be a year waiting for the release. ]]> 4.03 2023
author: Holly Black
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/27
date added: 2023/04/27
shelves: fantasy, gets-better-half-way, magic, series
review:
Well that picked up momentum and got really good really quickly! This was good!

It took me a little while to connect with the story but I think that was because it jumped fully and rapidly into the world of Folk of the Air and I needed a little time to get caught back up. It’s been a few years since I finished that great series and I had to reconnect.

While not quite as good as FOTA, it’s close and this book certainly brought me back to the magic of that world with some of the familiar characters and some new ones. The world building and character descriptions were so good and the ending is loaded with surprises!

It was great to revisit the FOTA world and now I’m ready for the second book in the series which I suspect and hope will have more than just references to Jude and Cardan. It’s gonna be a year waiting for the release.
]]> 44422499
New Mexico, 2017: Sylvia Wren is one of the most important American artists of the past century. Known as a recluse, she avoids all public appearances. There’s a reason: she’s living under an assumed identity, having outrun a tragic past. But when a hungry journalist starts chasing her story, she’s confronted with whom she once was: Iris Chapel.

Connecticut, 1950: Iris Chapel is the second youngest of six sisters, all heiresses to a firearms fortune. They’ve grown up cloistered in a palatial Victorian house, mostly neglected by their distant father and troubled mother, who believes that their house is haunted by the victims of Chapel weapons. The girls long to escape, and for most of them, the only way out is marriage. But not long after the first Chapel sister walks down the aisle, she dies of mysterious causes, a tragedy that repeats with the second, leaving the rest to navigate the wreckage, to heart-wrenching consequences.

Ultimately, Iris flees the devastation of her family, and so begins the story of Sylvia Wren. But can she outrun the family curse forever?]]> 400 Sarai Walker 035826572X Susan 3
There are LOUD AND CLEAR messages about the lack of respect given to women in male dominated society and the violence, death and neglect that are brought into our world by men. No missing any of that, that’s for sure. I would have liked to feel more connected to the characters and the messages. Beautiful writing style, just not the ideal story for me!]]> 4.14 2022
author: Sarai Walker
name: Susan
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/22
date added: 2023/03/23
shelves: character-driven, disappointing, family, historical-fiction, magic, sad
review:
Well, unfortunately, this book didn’t finish as well for me as it started. The writing style is wonderful and the first 100 or so pages were gripping. But, at that point, the story just began to drag for me. So much time and detail and build up were given to the first sister’s death that I actually got frustrated. The writing really is beautiful but there is just a bit too much of it for me. Plus, so much is left unexplained and the deaths are so sudden and violent that they just left me feeling unsettled and confused.

There are LOUD AND CLEAR messages about the lack of respect given to women in male dominated society and the violence, death and neglect that are brought into our world by men. No missing any of that, that’s for sure. I would have liked to feel more connected to the characters and the messages. Beautiful writing style, just not the ideal story for me!
]]> 55215339
Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.

After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.

The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.]]> 379 Scarlett St. Clair Susan 3 3.77 2019
author: Scarlett St. Clair
name: Susan
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/02
date added: 2023/02/02
shelves: fantasy, magic, mythology, romance, meh
review:
I was drawn in by the mythological parallel in the characters and storyline, and that was interesting. Beyond that, though, I didn’t find much else to keep me engaged. The basic plot line was familiar and predictable and I found the female main character annoying and childish. It was okay but not enough to motivate me to read the rest of the series. I’ll seek out something different for a mythology fix.
]]> 55987334
At once a literary tour de force and a groundbreaking work of historical fiction, Four Treasures of the Sky announces Jenny Tinghui Zhang as an indelible new voice. Steeped in untold history and Chinese folklore, this novel is a spellbinding feat.]]> 326 Jenny Tinghui Zhang 1250811783 Susan 5
This book moves at an incredible pace. When there isn’t actual physical action taking place the story takes you on Daiyu’s emotional and spiritual journey. The ending isn’t happy but it is appropriate and honest and that makes it right. Daiyu finally does find what she was looking for all along when she finds her own strength and her own self and the power of the love from the teachings of her parents and calligraphy Master to know what is right.

The author sheds a lot of light on the cruelty of life in China and then in America in the late 1800s for the Chinese - information not broadly discussed and often overshadowed by the myriad of other horrible social failures by early Americans. There are so many characters and stories other than just Daiyu’s here and together they paint a picture of a very, very hard time in history.

Beautiful, lyrical writing, a strong and inspirational heroine and a tragic story of hope, hate, spiritual growth and finding the power of family wherever you are. ]]> 4.07 2022
author: Jenny Tinghui Zhang
name: Susan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/17
date added: 2023/01/04
shelves: historical-fiction, sad, book-club-read, character-driven, coming-of-age, cultural, magic
review:
This is a wonderfully written and heartbreaking story. I’m having a hard time writing a review because this book inspires a lot of thought, emotion and introspection. The story takes you on the amazing and tragic journey of a young Chinese girl named Daiyu who is taken from her home and family and must recreate her identity and ultimately find her true self in order to survive and finally find peace.

This book moves at an incredible pace. When there isn’t actual physical action taking place the story takes you on Daiyu’s emotional and spiritual journey. The ending isn’t happy but it is appropriate and honest and that makes it right. Daiyu finally does find what she was looking for all along when she finds her own strength and her own self and the power of the love from the teachings of her parents and calligraphy Master to know what is right.

The author sheds a lot of light on the cruelty of life in China and then in America in the late 1800s for the Chinese - information not broadly discussed and often overshadowed by the myriad of other horrible social failures by early Americans. There are so many characters and stories other than just Daiyu’s here and together they paint a picture of a very, very hard time in history.

Beautiful, lyrical writing, a strong and inspirational heroine and a tragic story of hope, hate, spiritual growth and finding the power of family wherever you are.
]]> 59808071 Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can...]]> 416 Stephanie Garber 1250268427 Susan 4
The storyline and the world have become more complicated and gained more depth. There were quite a few unexpected events and the end is a real cliffhanger. The main characters - Evangeline and Jacks - and their relationship have also finally developed. We learn much more about who Jacks is and his history but there is still more to know and so we wait for book #3.

There is mystery, adventure, intrigue, fantasy and a growing romance. The first book felt very young adult but this second book has a more mature tone. I wasn’t strongly committed to the series after the first book but this second book has hooked me. Will have to wait for the last book to see if Evangeline and Jacks get their happily ever after or not!]]> 4.49 2022
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Susan
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/20
date added: 2022/12/20
shelves: fantasy, favorites, magic, romance
review:
That was really good! The first book was okay but this second book was so much better! The first book was just a warm-up, almost a prequel but this book hit the ground running.

The storyline and the world have become more complicated and gained more depth. There were quite a few unexpected events and the end is a real cliffhanger. The main characters - Evangeline and Jacks - and their relationship have also finally developed. We learn much more about who Jacks is and his history but there is still more to know and so we wait for book #3.

There is mystery, adventure, intrigue, fantasy and a growing romance. The first book felt very young adult but this second book has a more mature tone. I wasn’t strongly committed to the series after the first book but this second book has hooked me. Will have to wait for the last book to see if Evangeline and Jacks get their happily ever after or not!
]]> 55987278 How far would you go for happily ever after?

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings... until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy...]]> 408 Stephanie Garber 1250268397 Susan 3
This is the second book series that I’ve started where I was about to give up and then at the half way point things got more interesting and I got invested. It’s definitely young adult and there are many convenient circumstances that made things a little too easy.

Evangeline, the main character, is still growing on me but I do like her. In moments she has great strength and drive and in others she makes silly mistakes and decisions - I suppose consistent with her 17 years so certainly forgivable. Jacks, the male MC, is definitely the character who is most intriguing since I just don’t know exactly what he’s about. I have not read the Caraval series so I think that’s slowing me down with his backstory. Not sure if that is crucial or not.

The fantasy world, once it came together, is really a good one and the supporting characters are just as interesting as the main ones. I really like LaLa and would like to see more of her and the other Fates.

This book is really a warm-up and the ending is a launch into the main storyline found in the next book. I need to read the next one to see how it all comes together. Overall I like it. I’m not a huge young adult fan but the characters and the world are fun and it’s worth the read!]]> 4.06 2021
author: Stephanie Garber
name: Susan
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/13
date added: 2022/12/13
shelves: fantasy, gets-better-half-way, magic, young-adult
review:
I read a review about this book before I started it that said it felt like a prequel and I believe that is exactly right. This book is like a character introduction and story set up leading to the real book. Which isn’t a bad thing! It just took a little longer than it probably needed.

This is the second book series that I’ve started where I was about to give up and then at the half way point things got more interesting and I got invested. It’s definitely young adult and there are many convenient circumstances that made things a little too easy.

Evangeline, the main character, is still growing on me but I do like her. In moments she has great strength and drive and in others she makes silly mistakes and decisions - I suppose consistent with her 17 years so certainly forgivable. Jacks, the male MC, is definitely the character who is most intriguing since I just don’t know exactly what he’s about. I have not read the Caraval series so I think that’s slowing me down with his backstory. Not sure if that is crucial or not.

The fantasy world, once it came together, is really a good one and the supporting characters are just as interesting as the main ones. I really like LaLa and would like to see more of her and the other Fates.

This book is really a warm-up and the ending is a launch into the main storyline found in the next book. I need to read the next one to see how it all comes together. Overall I like it. I’m not a huge young adult fan but the characters and the world are fun and it’s worth the read!
]]> 59420717
Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when a drunk Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You�� backwards and accidentally conjures Hall, an unexpectedly charming Holiday Spirit in the form of a man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.

But as the wiles of magic lose their charm, Bettie finds herself set off-kilter by Hall’s sweet gestures. Suddenly, Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways come back as soon as the holidays are over?

From the author of Twice Shy comes a sprightly Christmas novel, a rollicking romp through the absurdity of family holidays and the hope of new love.]]> 368 Sarah Hogle 0593539850 Susan 4
The female main character, Bettie, is appropriately spoiled, selfish, thoughtless and unlikeable at the start. There are more pop culture references than I’ve seen in a long time and Bettie’s world is a shallow reflection of social media fame for the sake of followers and self-serving salesmanship. Through a fluke of magic she meets the ultimate Holiday Spirit, Hall, who helps her find the real spirit of the holidays but more importantly he helps her find her true self.

Hall is a whole lot! He is definitely a lot of Christmas spirit. At first I was having a hard time buying in to everything that was magically happening at a crazy pace but at some point it just clicked and really worked. Bettie’s family is the best - what an insane cast of great characters! Her Grandma is awesome - don’t mess with that woman!

I am impressed by Sarah Hogle’s ability to pack so much story into every page. This is definitely a book for people who are looking for a whole lot of holiday cheer and can handle some cheesiness and over-the-top antics. Stay with it even if you’re a little baffled at first by everything that’s happening - it will pay off! ]]> 3.48 2022
author: Sarah Hogle
name: Susan
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/07
date added: 2022/12/07
shelves: family, humor, magic, romance, holiday
review:
This is a wild and crazy holiday experience! I think I spent the first half of the book just trying to grasp what the heck was happening! This is a very different story! It’s full of happy holiday cheer and there is just SOOOO much happening all the time that it can be a little hard to keep up. I settled into the groove mid-book and really started to enjoy it but it absolutely took some warming up.

The female main character, Bettie, is appropriately spoiled, selfish, thoughtless and unlikeable at the start. There are more pop culture references than I’ve seen in a long time and Bettie’s world is a shallow reflection of social media fame for the sake of followers and self-serving salesmanship. Through a fluke of magic she meets the ultimate Holiday Spirit, Hall, who helps her find the real spirit of the holidays but more importantly he helps her find her true self.

Hall is a whole lot! He is definitely a lot of Christmas spirit. At first I was having a hard time buying in to everything that was magically happening at a crazy pace but at some point it just clicked and really worked. Bettie’s family is the best - what an insane cast of great characters! Her Grandma is awesome - don’t mess with that woman!

I am impressed by Sarah Hogle’s ability to pack so much story into every page. This is definitely a book for people who are looking for a whole lot of holiday cheer and can handle some cheesiness and over-the-top antics. Stay with it even if you’re a little baffled at first by everything that’s happening - it will pay off!
]]> 36540759
Thirty-four-year-old Harry Crane, lifelong lover of trees, works as an analyst in a treeless US Forest Service office. When his wife dies in a freak accident, devastated, he makes his way to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains, intent on losing himself. But fate intervenes in the form of a fiercely determined young girl named Oriana. She, too, has lost someone—her father. And in the magical, willful world of her reckoning, Oriana believes that Harry is the key to finding her way back to him.

As Harry agrees to help the young girl, the unlikeliest of elements—a tree house, a Wolf, a small-town librarian and a book called The Grum’s Ledger—come together to create the biggest sensation ever to descend upon the Endless Mountains…a golden adventure that will fulfill Oriana’s wildest dreams and open the door to a new life for Harry.

Harry’s Trees is an uplifting tale about love, loss, friendship, and redemption. Fans of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry will find in its relentless good humor a much-needed remedy for these fraught times]]> 432 Jon Cohen 0778364151 Susan 5 4.13 2018
author: Jon Cohen
name: Susan
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/15
date added: 2022/10/27
shelves: favorites, character-driven, family, magic, relationships
review:
Simply superb. What a wonderful, delightful, magical book. Perfectly written characters, a thoughtful, imaginative, gripping and touching plot. I love this book.
]]> 19063 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

(Note: this title was not published as YA fiction)]]> 592 Markus Zusak Susan 5 4.38 2005
author: Markus Zusak
name: Susan
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2014/03/14
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, character-driven, magic
review:
Markus Zusak is one of my all time favorite writers. I read "I Am The Messenger" a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. My daughter has been pushing me to read "The Book Thief" for about the same period of time. It's one of her all time favorite books and I have to say that now it is also one of mine. Zusak is an amazing writer and his ability to so vividly illustrate the tragedies of World War II and the Holocaust through the description of ordinary people and daily lives is just incredible. I've read many books about the Holocaust but this one is by far the very best. I highly recommend this book and any book written by Markus Zusak.
]]> 227571 Peace Like a River, is one such work. His richly evocative novel, narrated by an asthmatic 11-year-old named Reuben Land, is the story of Reuben's unusual family and their journey across the frozen Badlands of the Dakotas in search of his fugitive older brother. Charged with the murder of two locals who terrorized their family, Davy has fled, understanding that the scales of justice will not weigh in his favor. But Reuben, his father, Jeremiah—a man of faith so deep he has been known to produce miracles—and Reuben's little sister, Swede, follow closely behind the fleeing Davy.

Affecting and dynamic, Peace Like a River is at once a tragedy, a romance, and an unflagging exploration into the spirituality and magic possible in the everyday world, and in that of the world awaiting us on the other side of life. In Enger's superb debut effort, we witness a wondrous celebration of family, faith, and spirit, the likes of which we haven't seen in a long, long time—and the birth of a classic work of literature.]]> 312 Leif Enger 0802139256 Susan 5 favorites, magic, family 4.01 2001
author: Leif Enger
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves: favorites, magic, family
review:

]]> 19057 protect the diamonds
survive the clubs
dig deep through the spades
feel the hearts

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He's pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That's when the first ace arrives in the mail.

That's when Ed becomes the messenger.

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who's behind Ed's mission?]]> 357 Markus Zusak Susan 5 4.03 2002
author: Markus Zusak
name: Susan
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves: favorites, character-driven, magic
review:
Ten stars, easy. One of the best books I've ever read. I liked it even better than The Book Thief. The characters are raw and deeply flawed and amazing. I wouldn't even begin to describe them, you have to experience them first hand. This book makes you think and feel and yearn. It's everything a book should be. Read it, you won't regret it. See how many times you come back to it to read it again.
]]> 41556079 Heather Webber's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm.

Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.

It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.

As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 336 Heather Webber 1250198607 Susan 3 disappointing, magic
Magical realism is one of my favorite genres but this book was magical realism light and southern charm and family drama heavy. The book could have shaved down about 100 pages of description and conversation and would have been just as good, if not better. I suppose I prefer a Jess Kidd or V.E. Schwab type of magical realism with a little teeth to it.

I liked the storyline for Anna Kate, the returning legacy to the Blackbird Cafe and the magic the cafe’s pies deliver. I would have liked more of that magic and less of the family drama. I didn’t enjoy Natalie’s parallel storyline nearly as much and grew tired of the southern matriarch Seelie with her domineering inconsistency. She wasn’t even a fun villain. You could see the romances a million miles away and they played out so quickly, so easily and with so little depth I didn’t find them particularly interesting.

I was torn between 2 and 3 stars and went with 3 because I liked the blackbirds and the female legacy of magic. Moving on to something with more bite. ]]> 4.01 2019
author: Heather Webber
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/18
shelves: disappointing, magic
review:
Well, darn, that was disappointing. I’ve had a short run of reading books with great ŷ������ reviews that I just didn’t enjoy much. This book wasn’t awful, it was just VERY predictable and cheesy. A little too much for me to handle. One of my ŷ������ friends said it was like watching a Hallmark movie and that was a perfect description.

Magical realism is one of my favorite genres but this book was magical realism light and southern charm and family drama heavy. The book could have shaved down about 100 pages of description and conversation and would have been just as good, if not better. I suppose I prefer a Jess Kidd or V.E. Schwab type of magical realism with a little teeth to it.

I liked the storyline for Anna Kate, the returning legacy to the Blackbird Cafe and the magic the cafe’s pies deliver. I would have liked more of that magic and less of the family drama. I didn’t enjoy Natalie’s parallel storyline nearly as much and grew tired of the southern matriarch Seelie with her domineering inconsistency. She wasn’t even a fun villain. You could see the romances a million miles away and they played out so quickly, so easily and with so little depth I didn’t find them particularly interesting.

I was torn between 2 and 3 stars and went with 3 because I liked the blackbirds and the female legacy of magic. Moving on to something with more bite.
]]> 52767317
Just as her new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone haywire. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, she sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life—to find her absent father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.

Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family.]]> 352 Karen Hawkins 1982105569 Susan 4
What I like (and hate a little!) is that no storyline really finishes. It starts and progresses and then moves from one book to the next where it develops further. Keeps me engaged and curious and ready for the next book but also creates the balance that there’s more to these people’s lives and you get to be part of it as time goes on.

I have to say that the connection between Blake and Sarah is the most fun and interesting to me - opposites with a difficult and tortured almost-relationship. Their story started in The Book Charmer and was intriguing but incomplete in that book. A Cup of Silver Linings explains more of their history and I had to re-read several segments on them - not because they were hard to understand but because they were really touching.

This is a nice little series that has drawn me in completely! Ready for the next book now, please!!]]> 3.94 2021
author: Karen Hawkins
name: Susan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/25
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: favorites, magic, character-driven, series
review:
Really good! I really liked The Book Charmer, the first book in this series, and this follow is just as good, if not better! This series is full of characters all intertwined and developing. The storylines are all about relationships of all kinds and are infused with a bit of magic - my favorite! How can you not love a Librarian who talks to books? Dream job.

What I like (and hate a little!) is that no storyline really finishes. It starts and progresses and then moves from one book to the next where it develops further. Keeps me engaged and curious and ready for the next book but also creates the balance that there’s more to these people’s lives and you get to be part of it as time goes on.

I have to say that the connection between Blake and Sarah is the most fun and interesting to me - opposites with a difficult and tortured almost-relationship. Their story started in The Book Charmer and was intriguing but incomplete in that book. A Cup of Silver Linings explains more of their history and I had to re-read several segments on them - not because they were hard to understand but because they were really touching.

This is a nice little series that has drawn me in completely! Ready for the next book now, please!!
]]> 49504061
But when the Eastwood sisters--James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna--join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.]]> 517 Alix E. Harrow 0316422045 Susan 5 favorites, magic
This is a story about witches but it’s really a story about women. About sisterhood and suffrage, about abuse and healing, about injustice and resilience. It’s about the power and the strength that women have and share and create when they unite. To say it’s empowering is an understatement and at the same time it’s a heartening reminder of the struggles women have faced for so long and how we have always persevered.

The characters are intense and vivid and so diverse! They are incredibly well developed. This is a magical story that inspires the witch in all of us. I will absolutely read more books by this author. I highly, highly recommend!]]> 4.01 2020
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/12
date added: 2021/03/12
shelves: favorites, magic
review:
If I could give this book 10 stars it still may not be enough. The writing is simply beautiful - engaging and lyrical. I had just come off of two DNF books with disappointing and predictable styles. To then be blessed with this book was all that I needed for a renewal in faith.

This is a story about witches but it’s really a story about women. About sisterhood and suffrage, about abuse and healing, about injustice and resilience. It’s about the power and the strength that women have and share and create when they unite. To say it’s empowering is an understatement and at the same time it’s a heartening reminder of the struggles women have faced for so long and how we have always persevered.

The characters are intense and vivid and so diverse! They are incredibly well developed. This is a magical story that inspires the witch in all of us. I will absolutely read more books by this author. I highly, highly recommend!
]]> 22774988 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel

Pain in love is the Roux family birthright. For Ava Lavender, a girl born with the wings of a bird, it is key to her fate.

Ava traces the lives and loves of the Roux women as she tries to understand what has made her who she is and what she will become. On the night of the summer solstice, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air and Ava’s fate is revealed.]]> 320 Leslye Walton 1406357731 Susan 4 magic 4.09 2014
author: Leslye Walton
name: Susan
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/28
date added: 2020/05/28
shelves: magic
review:
More like a 4.5. It’s an odd story filled with really very lovely writing and wonderful characters - so many, all so uniquely special and all so well developed. The writing is really just beautiful.
]]> 42278310 **Original cover for ASIN# B07J1WLZRD**

In the dark underbelly of Victorian London, a formidable female sleuth is pulled into the macabre world of fanatical anatomists and crooked surgeons while investigating the kidnapping of an extraordinary child in this gothic mystery—perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation.

Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.

Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.]]> 416 Jess Kidd Susan 5 3.94 2019
author: Jess Kidd
name: Susan
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/10/08
date added: 2019/10/08
shelves: favorites, magic, historical-fiction
review:
Oh my, that bittersweet moment when a book you love ends. Jess Kidd has done it again. She has created an imaginative, intriguing story with writing that just captures you and won’t let you go. Her earlier book, Himself, is an absolute favorite of mine and I was nervous to start Things In Jars, dreading the potential disappointment that would follow such a good book. Well, there was no need to worry. Things in Jars has a very different storyline and is set in a different time but, man, is it good! It brings its own cast of unexpected and entertaining characters as well as a mystery entwined with complex and overlapping relationships. And, of course, there’s some magic. Just love, love, love the way Jess Kidd writes. She is a favorite and this book is just wonderful. My only wish would be for a little more closure between Ruby and Bridie at the end. The finish for their relationship felt too fast but that’s mostly because I liked them both so much I wasn’t ready to be done with them. 5 stars are not enough. If you haven’t read Himself yet, you need to read that one, too.
]]> 34037113 Find your magic

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.]]> 369 Alice Hoffman Susan 5 favorites, magic 3.98 2017
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Susan
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/05
date added: 2019/09/30
shelves: favorites, magic
review:
Just a fantastic book. Alice Hoffman can spin magical realism like no one else. Couldn’t put it down. Amazing characters, plot, setting, writing - everything. Just that good.
]]> 22840421 This comical, fantastical, romantical, New York Times bestselling, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey is “an uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed�� (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind YA fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.]]> 474 Cynthia Hand 0062391798 Susan 4 humor, magic 4.00 2016
author: Cynthia Hand
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/07/22
date added: 2017/10/26
shelves: humor, magic
review:
LOVED it!!! Love, love, loved it!! 4.5 stars. Funny, silly, campy, pure out enjoyable read. An extreme retelling of Tudor rule of England that includes shape shifting, frying pans as weapons, lovable quirky characters, crazy fictitious historical references (that you almost believe), sword fights and more. The commentary, dialogue and narration will have you laughing out loud from beginning to end. Fun, fun read. So glad there are more books coming in the series.
]]> 26117888 Naomi Novik, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Temeraire novels, introduces a bold new world rooted in folk stories and legends, as elemental as a Grimm fairy tale.

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.��

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows �� everyone knows �� that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.]]> 464 Naomi Novik 0804179050 Susan 5 favorites, magic "I don't know," I said to Sarkan, my voice shaking. "But I'll do something. Will you come into the Wood with me?"

Oh my goodness, this book was so very good! What an imaginative and creative plot! This is the story of a beautiful valley of good, hard working people who live in constant fear of a dark and evil power that exists inside a large forested area known as the Wood. A wizard, known as the Dragon/Sarkan, is all that keeps them safe from the encroaching Wood. Every 10 years the Dragon chooses a 17 year old girl to serve him and he chooses Agnieszka.

What follows is a beautifully imagined story of good versus evil with all kinds of magic and wizardry, creatures and battles, vivid characters and wonderful storytelling. All of the characters, especially the Dragon and Agnieszka, are so unique and through the whole book they always remain true to themselves and their own character. Agnieszka is sweet and genuine and so full of goodness. She's dedicated to her beliefs and doing what's right no matter what others think or might have her do differently. She does this all with determination and a sense of cause, not out of defiance or anger. Agnieszka and the Dragon couldn't be more different but together they make an amazing team. I loved the Dragon and all of his haughtiness!

The end of the book, when the author truly develops the Wood, is so creative and so visually written that I could truly see this amazing dream world in my mind. I loved the author's writing style. It's so full of emotion. I could sense the characters feelings so easily through her words and descriptions and the whole story is just layered with these intense emotions. You feel like you're in the middle of everything that's happening and that it could somehow be real.

This is the first book I've read by Naomi Novik and it was wonderful. I'd love to see a sequel! I'll be checking out her Temeraire series next. ]]> 4.07 2015
author: Naomi Novik
name: Susan
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/31
date added: 2017/08/31
shelves: favorites, magic
review:
"What do you propose to do?"
"I don't know," I said to Sarkan, my voice shaking. "But I'll do something. Will you come into the Wood with me?"

Oh my goodness, this book was so very good! What an imaginative and creative plot! This is the story of a beautiful valley of good, hard working people who live in constant fear of a dark and evil power that exists inside a large forested area known as the Wood. A wizard, known as the Dragon/Sarkan, is all that keeps them safe from the encroaching Wood. Every 10 years the Dragon chooses a 17 year old girl to serve him and he chooses Agnieszka.

What follows is a beautifully imagined story of good versus evil with all kinds of magic and wizardry, creatures and battles, vivid characters and wonderful storytelling. All of the characters, especially the Dragon and Agnieszka, are so unique and through the whole book they always remain true to themselves and their own character. Agnieszka is sweet and genuine and so full of goodness. She's dedicated to her beliefs and doing what's right no matter what others think or might have her do differently. She does this all with determination and a sense of cause, not out of defiance or anger. Agnieszka and the Dragon couldn't be more different but together they make an amazing team. I loved the Dragon and all of his haughtiness!

The end of the book, when the author truly develops the Wood, is so creative and so visually written that I could truly see this amazing dream world in my mind. I loved the author's writing style. It's so full of emotion. I could sense the characters feelings so easily through her words and descriptions and the whole story is just layered with these intense emotions. You feel like you're in the middle of everything that's happening and that it could somehow be real.

This is the first book I've read by Naomi Novik and it was wonderful. I'd love to see a sequel! I'll be checking out her Temeraire series next.
]]> 26156203
And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip-smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love…or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear—the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.]]> 407 Evelyn Skye 0062422588 Susan 3 magic
This book has all the elements of potential greatness - Russia in the early 1800s for a setting, Enchanters using their powers to fight to the death for ultimate power, a love quadrangle (yep, four) between friends and enemies, potentially intriguing side characters who could thicken the plot!! All of this was great but it was never fully developed. There was no tension, no anxiety, no concern created for the reader. Everything just seemed simple and somewhat unexciting. Like everyone was just going to another annoying day of work in St. Petersburg, throwing around magic, trying not to die. I just didn't feel anything deeply and the characters didn't seem to either.

SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH......

There's one segment near the end of the book where one of the main characters meets his mother for the very first time since he was an infant. His mom happens to be a grotesque, rotted, horrible smelling remnant of a human who tells him that she just killed his father, a very powerful man who the main character has never known. Potentially powerful stuff. The whole interaction is covered in five pages with basically no real emotion and ends with the main character striding out of the church without looking back. And that's the last time it's discussed.

END OF SPOILER!

There was a lack of depth in the character and story development that left me feeling that things were too superficial. The writing style was similarly predictable and a bit overly descriptive, reinforcing the lack of depth. I also didn't love the ending. It did have a good twist but was a little abrupt and I don't see how this will smoothly maintain the current story/love line into the next book. I was hoping for something a little more magically imagined but I'll have to wait and see how it turns out in the next book.

All that being said, I did like the book. The premise is great, the setting is very cool (although there are MANY references to Russian locations and things that I didn't know anything about) and the sequences that cover the magic and the enchantments were good. I like the characters and I want to see how their relationships develop. ]]> 3.82 2016
author: Evelyn Skye
name: Susan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2017/08/13
date added: 2017/08/13
shelves: magic
review:
I took this book on vacation with me so my reading was consistently interrupted by other activities. I don't know if those breaks helped keep me wanting to come back to the book or hurt my continuity and therefore my impressions of the story. Either way, I liked this book. I didn't love it. It got three stars for the premise and its potential and the fact that I will read the next book in the series to see if it gets better. This book has some tough competition in the genre of magical realism. I'm a big fan of "The Night Circus" and V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series (the absolute best!) so my bar is kind of high.

This book has all the elements of potential greatness - Russia in the early 1800s for a setting, Enchanters using their powers to fight to the death for ultimate power, a love quadrangle (yep, four) between friends and enemies, potentially intriguing side characters who could thicken the plot!! All of this was great but it was never fully developed. There was no tension, no anxiety, no concern created for the reader. Everything just seemed simple and somewhat unexciting. Like everyone was just going to another annoying day of work in St. Petersburg, throwing around magic, trying not to die. I just didn't feel anything deeply and the characters didn't seem to either.

SPOILER IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH......

There's one segment near the end of the book where one of the main characters meets his mother for the very first time since he was an infant. His mom happens to be a grotesque, rotted, horrible smelling remnant of a human who tells him that she just killed his father, a very powerful man who the main character has never known. Potentially powerful stuff. The whole interaction is covered in five pages with basically no real emotion and ends with the main character striding out of the church without looking back. And that's the last time it's discussed.

END OF SPOILER!

There was a lack of depth in the character and story development that left me feeling that things were too superficial. The writing style was similarly predictable and a bit overly descriptive, reinforcing the lack of depth. I also didn't love the ending. It did have a good twist but was a little abrupt and I don't see how this will smoothly maintain the current story/love line into the next book. I was hoping for something a little more magically imagined but I'll have to wait and see how it turns out in the next book.

All that being said, I did like the book. The premise is great, the setting is very cool (although there are MANY references to Russian locations and things that I didn't know anything about) and the sequences that cover the magic and the enchantments were good. I like the characters and I want to see how their relationships develop.
]]> 9361589
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.]]> 506 Erin Morgenstern Susan 5 favorites, magic 4.00 2011
author: Erin Morgenstern
name: Susan
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/07/24
shelves: favorites, magic
review:

]]> 20727654
Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight readers of all ages.]]> 222 Charlie N. Holmberg 1477823832 Susan 2 magic, disappointing 3.61 2014
author: Charlie N. Holmberg
name: Susan
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2014
rating: 2
read at: 2017/03/11
date added: 2017/07/04
shelves: magic, disappointing
review:
I had a really hard time getting into this book and barely finished. The main character travels through the heart of her magician mentor in order to save him. I just didn't get how she ended up in the heart or how the villain chasing her through the heart was always so far behind. The whole story occurs over just a few days but in that time the two main characters have fallen in love? Too much to ask for me.
]]> 8667848
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.]]> 592 Deborah Harkness 0670022411 Susan 4 magic 4.01 2011
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Susan
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2014/04/06
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 11559200 A Discovery of Witches�� cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.]]> 584 Deborah Harkness 0670023485 Susan 4 magic, romance 4.04 2012
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Susan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/11/04
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: magic, romance
review:

]]> 21853633 Garden Spells comes a story of the Waverley family, in a novel as sparkling as the first dusting of frost on new-fallen leaves..

It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections �� rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds �� are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby �� a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to.. if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

Lose yourself in Sarah Addison Allen's enchanting world and fall for her charmed characters in this captivating story that proves that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It’s where the real story begins.]]> 296 Sarah Addison Allen 1250019834 Susan 5 magic 3.96 2015
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/10
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 21897317 Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician’s Lie, a debut novel in which the country’s most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's murder --and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence.

The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.

But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free�� and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.]]> 312 Greer Macallister 1402298684 Susan 2 magic, disappointing 3.65 2015
author: Greer Macallister
name: Susan
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2015/03/29
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: magic, disappointing
review:

]]> 22055262
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.]]> 400 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376458 Susan 4 fantasy, favorites, magic 4.04 2015
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Susan
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/05
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: fantasy, favorites, magic
review:

]]> 20764879
Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.]]> 512 Victoria E. Schwab 0765376474 Susan 5 fantasy, favorites, magic 4.20 2016
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Susan
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/08
date added: 2017/05/31
shelves: fantasy, favorites, magic
review:

]]> 13481275 New York Times bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever��.



The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.That was half a lifetime ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband, George, is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.



It’s a lot, but it’s not enough to keep Eby from calling this her final summer at the lake, and relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.



Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness and heartbreak and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope, too, thanks to her resilient daughter, Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer…and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.



One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it’s too late?



At once atmospheric and enchanting, Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places.]]> 296 Sarah Addison Allen 125001980X Susan 4 magic 3.87 2014
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 2200877
Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night��. Until she finds her closet harboring Della Lee Baker, a local waitress who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey’s narrow existence quickly expands. She even bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who is hounded by books that inexplicably appear when she needs them—and who has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush. Soon Josey is living in a world where the color red has startling powers, and passion can make eggs fry in their cartons. And that’s just for starters.

Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.]]> 276 Sarah Addison Allen 0553805495 Susan 4 magic 3.99 2008
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 5126859 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world--no matter how out of place they feel.

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew--a reclusive, real-life gentle giant--she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes--which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?��

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.]]> 288 Sarah Addison Allen 0553807218 Susan 4 magic 3.97 2010
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 8546358 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.]]> 273 Sarah Addison Allen 0553807226 Susan 4 magic 3.84 2011
author: Sarah Addison Allen
name: Susan
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: magic
review:

]]> 21853637
On this same lake in Celtic times lived Seren, a witch and shaman. She was respected but feared, kept separate from the community for her strange looks. When a vision came to her of the Prince amid a nest of vipers she warned of betrayal from one of his own. Prince Brynach both loved and revered her, but could not believe someone close to him wished him harm, even as the danger grew.

In her own time, Tilda’s grief begins to fade beside her newfound powers and a fresh love. When she explores the lake’s ancient magic and her own she discovers Seren, the woman in her vision of the boat. Their two lives strangely mirror each others, suggesting a strong connection between the women. As Tilda comes under threat from a dark power, one reminiscent of Seren’s prophecy, she must rely on Seren and ancient magic if death and disaster are not to shatter her life once more.]]> 308 Paula Brackston 1250028795 Susan 3 magic 3.82 2015
author: Paula Brackston
name: Susan
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/31
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: magic
review:
Great plot concept and characters but just a bit too slow and long on the detailed description of every scene. The first third of the book was really slow and by the end I found that I could skim read and didn't feel like I'd really missed any key information. I'll try another if her books but this one was just okay.
]]>