en-US Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:55:50 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 18362422
The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bonds with their dragons deepen, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, and even Sedric, the unlikeliest of keepers, have begun transforming into beautiful Elderlings raked with exquisite features that complement and reflect the dragons they serve.

But while the humans have scoured the empty streets and enormous buildings of Kelsingra, they cannot find the mythical silver wells the dragons need to stay health and survive. With enemies encroaching, the keepers must risk "memory walking"- immersing themselves in the dangerously addictive memories of long-deceased Elderlings - to uncover clues necessary to their survival.

And time is of the essence, for the legendary Tintaglia, long feared dead, has returned, wounded in a battle with humans hunting dragon blood and scales. She is weakening and only the hidden silver can revive her. If Tintaglia dies, so, too, will the ancient memories she carries - a devastating loss that will ensure the dragons' extinction.]]> 544 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.43 2013
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: fantasy, dragons, found-family, historical-fantasy, lbgtq, magic, multi-generational, re-read
review:

]]> 12479391
The thrilling conclusion to Robin Hobb’s Tawny Man trilogy.

Kingdoms will stand or fall on the beat of a dragon’s wings, or a Fool’s heart.

Prince Dutiful has been charged with a quest to the Outisland to take the head of the black dragon Icefyre. Only then will his betrothed marry him and cement the alliance between their warring kingdoms.

But is Icefyre just a legend? Or does he truly slumber beneath the glaciers? Fitz has prevented his friend the Fool from accompanying them the Fool has foreseen his own death if he ever sets foot on the isle of the black dragon. But as their ship draws in towards Aslevjal a lone figure awaits them…]]> 817 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.61 2003
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: fantasy, favorites, epic-fantasy, re-read, dragons, family, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic, multi-generational
review:
I love that we get to see Burrich again and that finally Fitz gets the life he deserves. The Fool sees his vision fulfilled, Dutiful becomes a man, the mystery of the Narcheska, solved. Robin Hobb really leaves no stone unturned in her writing, so much detail and connection, all minutely threaded between her books. Magnificent!
]]> 12479388 King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz—or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest—perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return—or the heir his princess carries—can save the Six Duchies.

But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him—currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.

]]> 849 Robin Hobb Emma 4 Having read the tawny man, liveship and rain wild series already, it amazes me that Hobb had such a full and detailed picture of the world she was building. She lays the foundations for all the future books in this first trilogy. Fitz is my main squeeze when it comes to heroes of epic fantasy. Nobody does the first person POV like Hobb.]]> 4.37 1997
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: re-read, epic-fantasy, family, fantasy, favorites, found-family, historical-fantasy, magic, multi-generational
review:
This book has to drop one star because, although as beautifully written as ever, so much time is spent on the looooooooooong search for Verity. Even I was starting to get exasperated with the lack of action and I am a devoted Hobb fan. This trilogy was a re read and I was far more impressed this time than when I first read it.
Having read the tawny man, liveship and rain wild series already, it amazes me that Hobb had such a full and detailed picture of the world she was building. She lays the foundations for all the future books in this first trilogy. Fitz is my main squeeze when it comes to heroes of epic fantasy. Nobody does the first person POV like Hobb.
]]> 12479383
The second volume in Robin Hobb’s internationally bestselling Farseer Trilogy.

Honesty is the bedrock for any relationship. But how can Fitz � royal bastard, trainee assassin, holder of secrets crucial to the security of the kingdom � bare his soul to his beloved Molly?

Danger lies all around him � from the raiders savaging the coastal towns, and from within the court. The king has been struck down by a mystery illness and his eldest son, Verity, is bound up in the defence of the realm.

When Verity leaves the court in search of the mythical Elderlings, Fitz finds himself friendless apart from his wolf, Nighteyes, and the king’s strange, motley-clad fool, exposed to Prince Regal’s malign ambitions. He will be asked to sacrifice everything � his heart, his hope, even his life � for the sake of the realm.]]> 773 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.40 1996
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: re-read, epic-fantasy, family, fantasy, favorites, found-family, historical-fantasy, multi-generational
review:
Absolutely loved this as a re-read. I read this when it first came out and liked it..but found it a bit slow. Nearly 20 years on, having read the tawny man trilogy I decided to revisit the original FarSeer trilogy. Robin Hobb has created a major work of fantasy fiction beyond compare.
]]> 205435993 The ultra-rich control magic—the same way they control everything else—but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

Stephen Oakwood has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he’s been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father.

But doing so won’t be easy. Stephen’s not so isolated any more, but the contacts he’s making in the magical world—everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he’s just beginning to reconnect with—all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged.

Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return.

Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he’s ever faced before. To survive, he’ll need to use all of his tricks and sigls, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who’s really pulling the strings.]]> 336 Benedict Jacka 0593549864 Emma 5 4.02 2024
author: Benedict Jacka
name: Emma
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: family, fantasy, found-family, magic, multi-generational, netgalley, urban-fantasy
review:
Brilliant! I love the main character Stephen and his approach to life and the world of drucraft. He is managing to survive hostile situations, discovering talents he didn’t know he had, making allies and continuing his search for answers as to his dad’s whereabouts. Benedict Jacka really knows how to craft appealing underdog characters and to have his readers cheering them on. I loved this second in the series and am already craving the next one. Many thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book.
]]> 18626895 464 Robin Hobb Emma 5 4.19 1995
author: Robin Hobb
name: Emma
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/19
date added: 2024/12/19
shelves: fantasy, historical-fantasy, re-read, epic-fantasy, family, favorites, found-family, multi-generational
review:
This was a re read. I read it when it first came out, followed by the next two in the trilogy. And while I enjoyed them, I never returned to Robin Hobb. Then last year I met her again with the first in the Tawny man trilogy. I absolutely loved it and became a complete Robin Hobb fanatic. I read the Liveship trilogy then the Rain wild chronicles, then completed the Tawny man trilogy. I loved them all and felt it was time to re read the original books. Well the Assassin's Apprentice was fantastic, especially when you know how the story develops over the years.
]]> 208476958 Chilling and uncanny folk suspense in a novel of twisted sisterhood and dark secrets. She thought arriving there was bad enough.
Then she tried to run away�

1978. When teenager Rina Pine is dumped by her hippy mother in the parochial village of Sorrow Spring, and forced to live with her aged aunt, Agatha Pine, she doesn’t think things can get any worse.
There she finds a community beholden to the past, and a village in the grip of a close-knit circle of older women who worship the local spring and its patron saint, all under the leadership of the formidable Agatha.
But when a child goes missing and a young mother is killed, Rina is drawn into the dark and sinister truth flowing through the sacred waters that give the place its name. Rina is about to learn what it truly means to be a daughter of Sorrow Spring…]]> 469 Olivia Isaac-Henry 000865638X Emma 4 3.71 2024
author: Olivia Isaac-Henry
name: Emma
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: gothic, multi-generational, mystery, horror
review:

]]> 59927627 372 Lexie Conyngham 1910926728 Emma 4 4.55
author: Lexie Conyngham
name: Emma
average rating: 4.55
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: british-hf, crime, family, found-family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, kindle-unlimited, multi-generational, mystery
review:

]]> 102190102
To Valentine, it’s a millstone; to Zena Baxter, who has never really had a home before being evacuated there with her small daughter, it’s a place of wonder and sentiment, somewhere that she can’t bear to leave. But Zena has been living with a secret, and the end of the war means she has to face a reckoning of her own�

Funny, sharp and touching, Small Bomb at Dimperley is both a love story and a bittersweet portrait of an era of profound loss, and renewal.]]> 320 Lissa Evans 0857528297 Emma 5 4.06 2024
author: Lissa Evans
name: Emma
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/26
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: british-hf, found-family, historical-fiction, small-town, family, multi-generational
review:

]]> 56221609
Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants� present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is an enchanting novel about what we knowingly and unknowingly inherit from our ancestors, the ties that bind, and reclaiming your power.]]> 336 Zoraida Córdova 198210256X Emma 4 4.08 2021
author: Zoraida Córdova
name: Emma
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/24
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: magic, multi-generational, mystery
review:
3.5 stars rounded up. This was a beautifully written and magical story with quite a dreamy feel. It was very much a story of magical realism- for my tastes it was a little too light on the magic and I think I was hoping for more witchery. It felt just a little flat to me. It was only at the end that we see the whole picture and actually this did redeem itself.
]]> 42933 732 James Clavell Emma 4 4.28 1966
author: James Clavell
name: Emma
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1966
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: historical-fiction, british-hf, family, multi-generational, oriental-chinese-japanese, re-read
review:

]]> 24069736
Now a treasure hunter and his high-tech, million-dollar recovery team embark on the perfect operation to unlock the labyrinth's mysteries. First the computers fail. Then crewmen begin to die. The island has guarded its secrets for centuries, and it isn't letting them go... without a fight.]]> 432 Douglas Preston Emma 3 4.10 1998
author: Douglas Preston
name: Emma
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: contemporary, family, multi-generational, mystery, small-town, thriller
review:

]]> 54500748
Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook’s differences are impossible to ignore. The Island of Sea Women is an epic set over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, through the era of cell phones and wetsuits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, and she will forever be marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that after surviving hundreds of dives and developing the closest of bonds, forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point.]]> 375 Lisa See Emma 3 4.31 2019
author: Lisa See
name: Emma
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves: family, found-family, historical-fiction, lbgtq, multi-generational, oriental-chinese-japanese
review:

]]> 21375203
One of the vessels requisitioned for the attack, the Hind, travels eastwards from Bengal to China, sailing into the midst of the First Opium War. The turbulent voyage brings together a diverse group of travellers, each with their own agenda to pursue. Among them is Kesri Singh, a sepoy in the East India Company who leads a company of Indian sepoys; Zachary Reid, an impoverished young sailor searching for his lost love, and Shireen Modi, a determined widow en route to China to reclaim her opium-trader husband's wealth and reputation. Flood of Fire follows a varied cast of characters from India to China, through the outbreak of the First Opium War and China's devastating defeat, to Britain's seizure of Hong Kong.]]> 616 Amitav Ghosh 0719569001 Emma 4 4.11 2015
author: Amitav Ghosh
name: Emma
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves: found-family, historical-fiction, india, multi-generational, oriental-chinese-japanese
review:

]]> 43565375 Through one woman's life at a moment of surprising change, the award-winning author Goldie Goldbloom tells a deeply affecting, morally insightful story and offers a rare look inside Brooklyn's Chasidic community

In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just a block or two up from the East River on Division Avenue, Surie Eckstein is soon to be a great-grandmother. Her ten children range in age from thirteen to thirty-nine. Her in-laws, postwar immigrants from Romania, live on the first floor of their house. Her daughter Tzila Ruchel lives on the second. She and Yidel, a scribe in such demand that he makes only a few Torah scrolls a year, live on the third. Wed when Surie was sixteen, they have a happy marriage and a full life, and, at the ages of fifty-seven and sixty-two, they are looking forward to some quiet time together.

Into this life of counted blessings comes a surprise. Surie is pregnant. Pregnant at fifty-seven. It is a shock. And at her age, at this stage, it is an aberration, a shift in the proper order of things, and a public display of private life. She feels exposed, ashamed. She is unable to share the news, even with her husband. And so for the first time in her life, she has a secret--a secret that slowly separates her from the community.

Goldie Goldbloom's On Division is an excavation of one woman's life, a story of awakening at middle age, and a thoughtful examination of the dynamics of self and collective identity. It is a steady-eyed look inside insular communities that also celebrates their comforts. It is a rare portrait of a long, happy marriage. And it is an unforgettable new novel from a writer whose imagination is matched only by the depth of her humanity.]]> 288 Goldie Goldbloom 0374175314 Emma 5 3.88 2019
author: Goldie Goldbloom
name: Emma
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: america-hf, family, mental-health, multi-generational
review:

]]> 498214 Daggerspell is a rare and special treat.]]> 454 Katharine Kerr 0553565214 Emma 4 3.90 1986
author: Katharine Kerr
name: Emma
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/16
date added: 2024/06/16
shelves: fantasy, historical-fantasy, kindle-unlimited, magic, epic-fantasy, multi-generational
review:

]]> 65678550
Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. When the truth is revealed about the skeleton, the boy, and the part the town’s establishment played in both, McBride shows that it is love and community—heaven and earth—that ultimately sustain us.]]> 385 James McBride 0593422945 Emma 4 3.83 2023
author: James McBride
name: Emma
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves: america-hf, family, historical-fiction, multi-generational
review:

]]> 7782124
In the course of seeking out the author of the curse, Alexander becomes deeply entangled in a conflict that involves fugitive priests, displaced poets, rebellious plotters and agents of the king. Confronted by murder within his family, he finds the lines between superstition and faith, duty and loyalty are becoming increasingly blurred, while his Scottish homeland grows ever more remote.]]> 400 S.G. MacLean 1849161658 Emma 3 3.76 2010
author: S.G. MacLean
name: Emma
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/22
date added: 2023/10/22
shelves: british-hf, family, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, multi-generational
review:
I didn’t get on with the storyline!
]]> 179948451 256 Kate Grenville 1805302485 Emma 5 3.59 2023
author: Kate Grenville
name: Emma
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/18
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: australia-nz, family, historical-fiction, multi-generational, netgalley
review:
This was a fascinating story which I read in one sitting. It’s so awful reading about the frustrations of being a female, clever, restless, ambitious and having to live with the expectations of the time; also inspiring to read how Dolly never gave up on her dreams and made the best of her situation. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> 62949033 From bestselling, National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes her first novel for adults, the story of one Dominican-American family told through the voices of its women as they await a gathering that will forever change their lives.

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake--a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she's led--her sisters are surprised. Has Flor forseen her own death, or someone else's? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn't the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband's infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor's wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling's problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she's decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.

And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it's worth it to keep trying--to have a child, and the anthropology research that's begun to feel lackluster.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo's inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces--one family's journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.]]> 371 Elizabeth Acevedo Emma 5 3.51 2023
author: Elizabeth Acevedo
name: Emma
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves: bipoc, family, netgalley, multi-generational
review:
A wonderful story of Life within one family from the Dominican Republic. The book has a magic all of its own and was a wonderful read. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> 77265006 An incandescent novel about the inheritance of trauma, wonder, and love across three generations of women.

Nell McDaragh never knew her grandfather, the famed Irish poet Phil McDaragh. But his love poems seem to speak directly to her. Restless, full of verve and wit, twenty-two-year-old Nell leaves her mother Carmel’s home to find her voice as a writer and live a life of her choosing. Carmel, too, knows the magic of her Daddo’s poetry—and the broken promises within its verses. When Phil abandons the family, Carmel struggles to reconcile “the poet� with the man whose desertion scars Carmel, her sister, and their cancer-ridden mother.

The Wren, the Wren brings to life three generations of women who contend with inheritances—of abandonment and of sustaining love that is “more than a strand of DNA, but a rope thrown from the past, a fat twisted rope, full of blood.� In sharp prose studded with crystalline poetry, Anne Enright masterfully braids a family story of longing, betrayal, and hope.]]> 278 Anne Enright 1324005696 Emma 3 3.51 2023
author: Anne Enright
name: Emma
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/23
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves: contemporary, family, ireland, multi-generational, netgalley
review:
This was a lyrical and thoughtful read based on family connections. I found it compelling and read it in one sitting. This isn’t my usual type of book and the first book I’ve read by this author. I plan to try something else by her. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> 59682540
As Genevieve Sturbridge struggles to keep her silk design business afloat, she must face the fact that London in 1764 is very much a man’s world. Men control the arts and sciences, men control politics and law. And men definitely control women.

A Huguenot living in Spitalfields, Genevieve one day receives a surprise invitation from an important artist. Grasping at the promise of a better life, she dares to hope her luck is about to change and readies herself for an entry into the world of serious art.

She soon learns that for the portrait painters ruling over the wealthy in London society, fame and fortune are there for the taking. But such high stakes spur rivalries that darken to sabotage and blackmail—and even murder.

Genevieve begins to suspect that her own secret past, when she was caught up in conspiracy and betrayal, has more to do with her entrée into London society than her talent. One wrong move could cost her not just her artistic dreams but the love of those she holds dear.

It’s a delicate dance, and a dangerous situation. And not just for Genevieve and her loved ones. . . because all the while there are ruthless spies who wish harm to England itself watching from the shadows.

A sequel to Nancy Bilyeau’s The Blue, The Fugitive Colours again reveals a dazzling world of glamour and treachery in Georgian England, when beauty held more value than human life. She immerses readers in a fictionalized account of real lives and events whilst staying faithful to the historical and social context.]]> 306 Nancy Bilyeau Emma 5 3.97 2022
author: Nancy Bilyeau
name: Emma
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/02
date added: 2023/05/03
shelves: netgalley, british-hf, family, historical-fiction, multi-generational
review:
I loved this sequel! I believe I have read all of the literary offerings of Nancy Bilieau. I find her books very accessible as well as evoking the times skilfully of which she writes. Here we are back in the Huguenot weavers district with Genevieve, now as an established silk designer. She becomes the catalyst for a disastrous chain of events, launching her back into a world of intrigue. By the end of this book I was really bowled over with respect with how Genevieve handled events and admired her very much as a woman fighting to be acknowledged as a professional in her own right. Very well done!
]]> 35492958
Only a few blocks away, amidst the elegant mansions and lily-white reputations of Gramercy Park and Washington Square, lives Judge James Stallworth. On a crusade to crush Lena's evil empire, the judge has sentenced three of her family members to death. And now she wants revenge.

One Sunday, all the Stallworths receive invitations - to their own funerals. Can even the wealth and power of the Stallworth family protect them from Lena's diabolical lust for vengeance?

This first-ever republication of Michael McDowell's chilling classic of revenge features cover art by Mike Mignola.]]> Michael McDowell Emma 4 3.82 1980
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1980
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/19
date added: 2023/04/19
shelves: america-hf, family, gothic, historical-fiction, multi-generational
review:
Excellent as a novel of historical fiction- it didn’t really read a sa thriller or a horror story.
]]> 39976486 From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife—a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family—even if it’s built on a paper foundation?]]> 323 Laila Ibrahim 1503959597 Emma 5 4.17 2018
author: Laila Ibrahim
name: Emma
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/10
date added: 2023/04/10
shelves: america-hf, bipoc, historical-fiction, oriental-chinese-japanese, family, found-family, kindle-unlimited, multi-generational
review:

]]> 467106
Already the most powerful family in Perdido, the Caskeys will soon experience success beyond their wildest imaginings. But prosperity comes with a price, and in the end even the Caskeys must pay.

One woman will risk everything to rid herself of the dreams she once begged for �

Another will make herself brutal in business and even more unyielding with the family that loves her ...

And a third will finally confront her mysterious and terrible otherness as she faces marriage and motherhood and the relentless pleading call of the dark river …]]> 172 Michael McDowell 0380827840 Emma 4 4.11 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/30
date added: 2022/06/30
shelves: america-hf, historical-fiction, horror, multi-generational, southern-gothic
review:

]]> 467104 187 Michael McDowell 038082776X Emma 4 4.11 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/29
date added: 2022/06/29
shelves: america-hf, historical-fiction, horror, multi-generational, southern-gothic
review:

]]> 448784 173 Michael McDowell 0380825945 Emma 5 4.22 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/27
date added: 2022/06/27
shelves: america-hf, horror, multi-generational, southern-gothic
review:
The momentum of creep factor is steadily gaining pace�
]]> 467105 191 Michael McDowell 0380822067 Emma 4 3.94 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/26
date added: 2022/06/26
shelves: america-hf, horror, multi-generational, southern-gothic
review:

]]> 467103
Elinor Dammert's arrival will forever change the town and the wealthy and powerful Caskey family.

James, who dotes on Elinor like a second daughter...

Sister, who pines for Elinor’s strength and independence...

Oscar, who loves Elinor and determines to build a life with her...

And matriarch Mary-Love, perhaps the only person in Perdido with an inkling of Elinor’s true power and purpose.

For Elinor is more than she appears, and she brings to Perdido—and to the Caskeys—a deadly, inexplicable otherness from which no one can ever be safe.]]> 189 Michael McDowell 0380814897 Emma 4 3.78 1983
author: Michael McDowell
name: Emma
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/25
date added: 2022/06/25
shelves: family, multi-generational, southern-gothic, america-hf
review:

]]> 53676111
Lydia is pulled into the Crow Family business by her shady Uncle Charlie. He has decided that Lydia needs to learn the truth about her infamous Family and to step into her role within it � whether she likes it or not.

After Lydia’s wrongful arrest, her relationship with DCI Fleet is decidedly rocky, but when a teenage girl goes missing from Highgate Woods she must put aside her emotions and work the case.

Lydia is increasingly alarmed by Charlie’s methods, but is trapped by loyalty. Then a direct attack on the Crows raises the tension between the Families to boiling point, and the mysterious Pearl Family step out of the shadows.

Can Lydia restore balance to the magical Families of London without losing her soul?]]> 358 Sarah Painter Emma 4 4.21 2020
author: Sarah Painter
name: Emma
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/22
date added: 2022/04/23
shelves: fantasy, magic, multi-generational, paranormal, urban-fantasy
review:
This took on a darker tone and I’m keen to see how the series progresses from here!
]]> 56898179 Master storyteller Alice Hoffman brings us the conclusion of the Practical Magic series in a spellbinding and enchanting final Owens novel brimming with lyric beauty and vivid characters.

The Owens family has been cursed in matters of love for over three-hundred years but all of that is about to change. The novel begins in a library, the best place for a story to be conjured, when beloved aunt Jet Owens hears the deathwatch beetle and knows she has only seven days to live. Jet is not the only one in danger—the curse is already at work.

A frantic attempt to save a young man’s life spurs three generations of the Owens women, and one long-lost brother, to use their unusual gifts to break the curse as they travel from Paris to London to the English countryside where their ancestor Maria Owens first practiced the Unnamed Art. The younger generation discovers secrets that have been hidden from them in matters of both magic and love by Sally, their fiercely protective mother. As Kylie Owens uncovers the truth about who she is and what her own dark powers are, her aunt Franny comes to understand that she is ready to sacrifice everything for her family, and Sally Owens realizes that she is willing to give up everything for love.

The Book of Magic is a breathtaking conclusion that celebrates mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and anyone who has ever been in love.]]> 400 Alice Hoffman 198215148X Emma 5
Magic!]]> 4.09 2021
author: Alice Hoffman
name: Emma
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/11
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: fantasy, magic, family, multi-generational, witches
review:
Read as many books as you can. Choose courage over caution. Take time to visit libraries. Look for light in the darkness. Have faith in yourself. Know that love is what matters most.

Magic!
]]> 44285639
Beyond Kekon’s borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich � or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals.

Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival � and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.

Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honour and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.]]> 624 Fonda Lee 0356510557 Emma 5 What can I add to my previous review?! I love the Kaul family and the ins and outs, ups and downs of their political lives. From Wen and Hilo’s children, their cousin, Lan’s son, Niko, Wen and Shae with their courage and loyalty, Anden with his principles. I am so looking forward to Jade Legacy. It certainly has a lot to live up to. I need to know how this story ends! One thing’s for sure, it won’t be a happy ending for everyone..
December 2019
Just as good as the first book Jade City. This isn’t quite my normal fare in terms of reading , but it’s so well written, with strong characterisation and world building that I couldn’t put it down. It was fascinating reading about life I the No Peaks clan and how the Kekonese adapted to and morphed when in Espenia. The whole Green Bone Jade system with its unique code of honour is an original system of magic delivery! Recommended.]]> 4.41 2019
author: Fonda Lee
name: Emma
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/24
date added: 2021/12/24
shelves: re-read, family, multi-generational, oriental-chinese-japanese, urban-fantasy
review:
December 2021
What can I add to my previous review?! I love the Kaul family and the ins and outs, ups and downs of their political lives. From Wen and Hilo’s children, their cousin, Lan’s son, Niko, Wen and Shae with their courage and loyalty, Anden with his principles. I am so looking forward to Jade Legacy. It certainly has a lot to live up to. I need to know how this story ends! One thing’s for sure, it won’t be a happy ending for everyone..
December 2019
Just as good as the first book Jade City. This isn’t quite my normal fare in terms of reading , but it’s so well written, with strong characterisation and world building that I couldn’t put it down. It was fascinating reading about life I the No Peaks clan and how the Kekonese adapted to and morphed when in Espenia. The whole Green Bone Jade system with its unique code of honour is an original system of magic delivery! Recommended.
]]> 25094955
It’s 1759 and the world is at war, pulling the North American colonies of Britain and France into the conflict. The times are complicated, as are the loyalties of many New York merchants who have secretly been trading with the French for years, defying Britain’s colonial laws in a game growing ever more treacherous.

When captured French officers are brought to Long Island to be billeted in private homes on their parole of honour, it upends the lives of the Wilde family—deeply involved in the treasonous trade and already divided by war.

Lydia Wilde, struggling to keep the peace in her fracturing family following her mother’s death, has little time or kindness to spare for her unwanted guests. French-Canadian lieutenant Jean-Philippe de Sabran has little desire to be there. But by the war’s end they’ll both learn love, honour, and duty can form tangled bonds that are not broken easily.

Their doomed romance becomes a local legend, told and re-told through the years until the present day, when conflict of a different kind brings Charley Van Hoek to Long Island to be the new curator of the Wilde House Museum.

Charley doesn’t believe in ghosts. But as she starts to delve into the history of Lydia and her French officer, it becomes clear that the Wilde House holds more than just secrets, and Charley discovers the legend might not have been telling the whole story...or the whole truth.]]> 414 Susanna Kearsley 1501116541 Emma 5 3.89 2018
author: Susanna Kearsley
name: Emma
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/18
date added: 2021/12/18
shelves: america-hf, library, family, multi-generational, paranormal, dual-timeline
review:
I’m not usually very good with dual timeline stories and therefore have never read books by this author. However I found a copy of this in the online library and quickly became absorbed in it. I loved the story and the time period and while the romance was at the heart of the story, it was only a small fraction of what made the book good.
]]> 43587168
* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, winner
* Aurora Award for Best Novel, winner
* Nebula Award for Best Novel, nominee
* Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, finalist

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets -- and of Kekon itself.

Jade City is the first novel in an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.]]> 605 Fonda Lee 0356510484 Emma 5 This book is EPIC!! I am doing a reread of the first two books in readiness for Jade Legacy. And this is just as good as I remembered- it’s a tough life in a gang wherever based , but here in Kekkon, it’s a brutal affair. Those who can wear Jade a source of strength and power. Those not affected by it are called Stone Eyes. This book deals with the outbreak of war between the No Peaks and Mountain clans, with the roles laid out in a typical triad hierarchy. This book doesn’t have a dull moment, leaving everything to play for in the sequel.
August 2019
Fabulous!]]> 4.13 2017
author: Fonda Lee
name: Emma
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/14
date added: 2021/11/14
shelves: family, fantasy, multi-generational, re-read, urban-fantasy
review:
November 2021
This book is EPIC!! I am doing a reread of the first two books in readiness for Jade Legacy. And this is just as good as I remembered- it’s a tough life in a gang wherever based , but here in Kekkon, it’s a brutal affair. Those who can wear Jade a source of strength and power. Those not affected by it are called Stone Eyes. This book deals with the outbreak of war between the No Peaks and Mountain clans, with the roles laid out in a typical triad hierarchy. This book doesn’t have a dull moment, leaving everything to play for in the sequel.
August 2019
Fabulous!
]]> 39077187
1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.�

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,� shows up�

It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure.]]> 368 Seanan McGuire 0756411807 Emma 4 4.26 2019
author: Seanan McGuire
name: Emma
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/22
date added: 2021/09/22
shelves: fantasy, multi-generational, urban-fantasy
review:
More Price family goodness/craziness!
]]> 7500150 313 Andrea Levy 0374192170 Emma 4 3.73 2010
author: Andrea Levy
name: Emma
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/06
date added: 2021/08/06
shelves: bipoc, family, historical-fiction, multi-generational
review:

]]> 55119872
Jessamyn Teoh is closeted, broke and moving back to Malaysia, a country she left when she was a toddler. So when Jess starts hearing voices, she chalks it up to stress. But there's only one voice in her head, and it claims to be the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma. In life Ah Ma was a spirit medium, the avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she's determined to settle a score against a gang boss who has offended the god--and she's decided Jess is going to help her do it.

Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she'll also need to regain control of her body and destiny. If she fails, the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.]]> 371 Zen Cho 0425283437 Emma 4 3.84 2021
author: Zen Cho
name: Emma
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/18
date added: 2021/06/18
shelves: bipoc, multi-generational, netgalley, paranormal, urban-fantasy, ya
review:
This was great! It had many 5 star moments too, but not quite consistently enough. In my opinion Zen Cho’s preferred method of delivery should always be Urban fantasy as this is her best to date (of the three I’ve read). The female characters knocked the ball out of the park- the writing was funny we learned quite a bit about the superstitions that permeate Chinese and Malaysian culture. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
]]> 40753481 The runaway bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the world to the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Now, a generation earlier, this sweeping new novel featuring Caroline's mother, Eliza, follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia: the church with the interior covered in jeweled mosaics, the Rembrandts at the Tsar's Winter Palace, the famous ballet. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's Imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their estate outside the city. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their home. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and aristocratic estates of the countryside to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian émigrés there to the mansions of Long Island, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways, taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history.]]> 448 Martha Hall Kelly 1524796387 Emma 4 4.20 2019
author: Martha Hall Kelly
name: Emma
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/11
date added: 2021/06/11
shelves: historical-fiction, multi-generational, russia-eastern-european
review:
4.5 stars.I have read quite a few books about the Russian Revolution but none from the point of view of the aristocracy (apart from the Imperial family of course)who were able to escape to Paris, still chased by agents of the red army. It made an interesting read.
]]> 40730474
Following a man she barely knows to a hostile country in which she has no friends, no home, and whose language she cannot speak, Sunja's salvation is just the beginning of her story.

Through eight decades and four generations, Pachinko is an epic tale of family, identity, love, death and survival.]]> 546 Min Jin Lee Emma 5 4.36 2017
author: Min Jin Lee
name: Emma
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/09
date added: 2021/05/09
shelves: historical-fiction, japan, oriental-chinese-japanese, kindle-unlimited, multi-generational, bipoc
review:
This was fascinating- I learned so much about Japan and Korea. This book will stay with me for a long time.
]]>