Humouress drops by in 2024

So I've been thinking about starting a thread in the Green Dragon and I think I'll go for it. I've got threads in the 75 Book group and the ROOTs group so no need to rehash all of that. I'll just take the first few posts to set up.

📚 75 Books - first thread
📚 75 Books - second thread

🌳 ROOTs 2024

Sometimes as I'm reading, I make notes in Litsy and then copy them across to here when I'm reviewing the book after I finish reading it.

Oh - and I should probably introduce you to Jasper, our 7 year old golden retriever who pretends to be ditsy as but is an expert at dog training (dog has trained his humans) since he seems to be finding his way into my reviews these days.



This was a Christmas photo - before I whipped the hat off his head since he looked inclined to try to eat it.

4th quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

December

November

October

3rd quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

September

August

July

2nd quarter

(covers)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read

✔ / / (#) / Title

June

May

April

1 quarter

The constellation:

  You have got to read this one!                           
  Really good; worth reading                                 
     Good, but without that special 'something' for me   
      Very nice, but a few issues                                    
         An enjoyable book                                                   
         Um, okay. Has some redeeming qualities                   
              Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did    
             (haven't met one - yet)                                              
                  Dire                                                                            
                  Rated only as a warning. Run away. Don't stop.              

Oh yes; I decided I would try to read books off my shelf alphabetically by author. If I can do two a month I should get through the alphabet by the end of the year ie A and B in January; C and D in February and so on. Of course there are some letters (like Q and X) that I don't have any authors for but it's just an experimental idea at this point.

A = Atwater, Olivia - Half a Soul : January
B = Britain, Kristen - The High King's Tomb : January (re-read)
C
D = Duncan, Dave - Paragon Lost : March
E
F = Fleury, Clive - Off Season : March (LT/ER; e-book)
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

1) Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

{first in Dobrenica trilogy; fantasy, Zenda, Ruritanian romance, adventure}(2010)



I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series (starting with the Inda tetralogy) and Roni recommended this series to me. I recently re-read Prisoner of Zenda 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s Crown & Court. I was in the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year.

Aurelia (named after her grandmother) Kim Murray - known as Kim - from Los Angeles has made a trip to Europe on a tight budget to try to solve the family mystery of where her mum and grandmother originally came from. While there she is kidnapped, having been mistaken for a missing duchess (also named Aurelia, though she prefers to be called Ruli) and consequently finds answers to her questions - which just lead to more questions. So she travels to the tiny, oft-overlooked kingdom of Dobrenica (where the missing Ruli hails from) to look for more answers and inadvertently becomes embroiled in their politics which leads to more adventures.

This is a modern day Ruritanian romance, but with a touch of fantasy, very much based on Prisoner of Zenda which book Smith mentions several times in her story, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli instead of Rudy. There were a couple of spots where I thought Kim jumped to a conclusion too fast, or maybe we just weren’t on the same wavelength, but that was a passing niggle.

While it may not be quite as rollicking as Prisoner of Zenda it still has plenty of swash and buckle, especially for a contemporary novel; Kim is an accomplished dancer and fencer (she has had to abandon her university team's fencing competition for her trip). The ending felt a bit abrupt but it is the first in trilogy and - because I had read the synopsises of the next two books - I was anticipating the twist.

So, if you haven’t read the synopses for the other books yet, then don’t.

I am looking forward to reading the sequels. (I just hope there's no Rupert of Hentzau plot waiting for me, though Tony (the character based on Rupert) is still lurking in the wings.)

(January 2024)
4.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series and was recommended this series. I recently read ‘Prisoner of Zenda’ 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s ‘Crown & Court’. I’m I the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year. Nearly halfway through and enjoying it.
Kim is in Europe trying to solve the family mystery of where her mum and gran came from. She’s mistaken for missing royalty and finds answers - and more questions

Very much based (and acknowledged) on ‘P of Z’, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli (short for Aurelia) instead of Rudy

2) Good Neighbours: the Full Collection by Stephanie Burgis

{stand-alone/ omnibus Good Neighbours 1-4; fantasy, magic, necromancy, romance, light & fun}(2022)

 

Told in the first person, this is a collection of short series about Mia (who has metallurgical powers, hitherto unknown in this world) who lives, with her dad, next door to the unfairly attractive, outrageous necromancer Leander Fabian. A light and fun fantasy romance.

This reads as obviously a collection rather than a novel even though the chapters follow a timeline because information is reintroduced at the beginning of chapters. In spite of that, it works fairly well as one narrative, which is how I read it; usually I rate individual stories in a collection individually and then average out for the book but I'm rating this one as one story.

1 - Good Neighbours

Mia and her father have, despite the friendly warnings from the locals who are suspicious of spellcrafters (not realising that Mia has magical powers), recently moved next door to a necromancer's castle. But Mia has secrets of her own and is happy to leave her neighbour alone and be left alone - until he sends his undead minions to her home.

This was fun and it looked like Burgis had fun writing this story.

2 - Deadly Courtesies

Mia perforce agrees to accompany Leander to the Necromancers' Ball to be his second in a duel, accoutred in a metal dress of her own design. And maybe her new ally will turn into something more than just an ally ... if she'll let him.

Not quite as light-hearted as the first but Mia proves she's no damsel in distress, even if she has to create her own magical dress.

3 - Fine Deceptions

Mia's dad and Leander's mentor find an excuse to send them to the other side of the country together - everyone seems to know how they feel about each other except Mia herself. Once there, they find the city even more prejudiced against spellcrafters than anything they've yet experienced, to the extent that the local magic wielders are living in hiding in fear of their lives.

A little bit more serious but still fun.

4 - Fierce Company

The prejudices Mia and Leander encountered in their last adventure follow them home to roost. And, more scarily perhaps, Mia meets Leander's family.

Also deals with serious issues but fun and with a happily ever after ending.

(January 2024)
3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Told in the first person, collection of short series about Mia (who has hitherto unknown metallurgical powers) who lives, with her dad, next door to the unfairly attractive necromancer Leander Fabian. A light and fun fantasy romance. Obviously a collection rather than a novel even though the chapters follow a timeline because information is reintroduced at the beginning of chapters.

3) The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

{first of 5 of Penderwicks series; children's, summer holidays, adventure, family, friends}(2005)

Subtitled 'A summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy'.

 

I took a book bullet for this one last year. My apologies, but I don't remember who fired it - I tend to go straight to the Overdrive websites for my three libraries when I come across an interesting book in someone's thread and hunt around hoping I find it, by which time I've forgotten who sent me there. Often, though, it tends to be a few mentions over time which indicates that the book hit the spot with more than one LT friend.

This was a National Book Award winner and has a gentle ambience but keeps you reading. It took me back to the books I grew up with though this is 21st century America and the classics I read were set in early 20th century Britain. It has that vibe of timeless, innocent summer holidays adventure without being saccharine - the dog running away, the children being chased by a bull or just counting frogs in the lily pond - plus it shows (doesn't tell) the interactions and tight bonds between the protagonists.

And they are: Rosalind, the responsible eldest Penderwick sister at twelve years old (and a half) who will be going into seventh grade after the summer; Skye, the only blonde haired, blue eyed sister, who is eleven and a bit of a maths prodigy;

'Cagney, these four are my pride and joy. The one with blond hair is my second daughter, Skye -'
'Blue Skye, blue eyes,' said Skye, opening wide her blue eyes to demonstrate.
'That's how you can remember which one she is,' said Jane. 'Blue eyes and straight blond hair. The rest of us have identical brown eyes and dark curly hair. People get me and Rosalind mixed up all the time.'

Jane is ten and writes books about her heroine Sabrina Starr for the family to read and she's also a great football (soccer) player. Batty, named after their mum, is four (though she does come across as more intelligible than most four year olds I've met) and the only one who really understands what

big, black, clumsy, lovable Hound Penderwick

is saying. Of course there's their dad, who is a botany professor and always throwing out Latin phrases, and they meet Jeffrey - the mysterious boy at the window - who lives at Arundel. And Arundel itself, a mansion in the Berkshire mountains {for those, like me, who don't know where that is, it's a subrange of the Appalachians located in west Massachusetts/ northwest Connecticut according to Wikipedia; far as I know, Berkshire is an English county} with gardens that Mrs Tifton, the snooty owner (who always mixes up Jane and Skye), wants to win the local garden contest. But the Penderwick family have taken the cottage in the grounds for the summer. And Mrs Tifton doesn't know that Hound is part of the family ...

I enjoyed this book and its ambience. It doesn't seem to have an unputdown-ness to it but I devoured it in a day or so between dentist visits and having family over for dinner. The Penderwick family are close, having lost their mother about four years ago, but the characters are not idealised - you can still see there is friction between the sisters at times. Fortunately they do have the MOOPS (Meetings Of the Older Penderwick Sisters) and MOPS (all four sisters) to enable them to uphold the Penderwick Family Honour. Their dad doesn't interfere with their holiday plans but when he does have to step in, he seems to be a fairly wise parent. And I liked Jeffrey; though an only child, he doesn't come across as spoiled and I was impressed by the way he interacts with Batty, the four year old. I love Hound. He's not Jasper but I can see the similarity in thinking.

I really like the illustration that heads each chapter, too - it encapsulates the idea of children enjoying their summer holiday. (It seems to have been used as a cover on many editions of the book, too, but not the one I borrowed.)



Read it. It's a joyful, summery story with a lot of love and friendship to counteract the stresses of everyday life.

(January 2024)
4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Subtitled ‘A summer tale of 4 sisters, 2 rabbits and a very interesting boy‘. The motherless Penderwick girls (aged 4, 10, 11 & 12) + dad and their dog, Hound, are on their summer holidays in a rented cottage in Massachusetts attached to a mansion and, of course, have adventures. Same vibes as the books I grew up with - though they were set in early C20th UK. This was written in 2005.
Halfway through. Lots of fun.

4) & 5) Agatha Raisin and The Quiche of Death & The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton

{first two of 34+3 in Agatha Raisin series; detective, murder, village life, Cotswolds, comedy, audiobook, BBC adaptation}(2010)

 

I've enjoyed watching Ashley Jensen portraying the titular Agatha Raisin in the TV adaptation of M.C. Beaton's series and I came across them (probably in my Recommendations) and thought I'd give the books a go. Since there was an audiobook of the first two available at one of my libraries I decided to give listening while I work (or, more accurately, potter) another try. These books are narrated by a full cast (including brass band sound effects) with Penelope Keith as Agatha. I loved hearing her voice with those 'To the Manor Born' tones which suited the character in a different way from Jensen's take.

ETA: I suspect, from reading a few other reviews, that I listened to an abbreviated/ adapted version; some of the incidents didn't happen in the book I borrowed (who's Doris?) and the cat's name was different. But I didn't find Agatha as abrasive or unlikeable as some people seem to have found her; in this edition she resembled Jensen's version quite a bit. I did wonder how I whizzed through two audiobooks so quickly. Maybe I'll rethink my complete conversion to this media ...

The Quiche of Death

Agatha Raisin, having started a PR firm in London, made it successful and sold it for a fortune (or at least for more than the cost of a cottage in the Cotswolds) has now moved to said cottage and wants to integrate into Carsely village life. To this end she enters a local baking competition - and orders Roy, her former employee, to buy a quiche from the best quiche shop in London. Despite her nefarious plan, she doesn't win - but the judge does take it home to have for dinner. When he's later found dead from cowbane poisoning from the quiche, Agatha falls under suspicion.

So of course she's not going to take that sitting down and sets about proving her innocence, totally upsetting the police investigation. And she makes classic mistakes, like being alone with the murderer when she accuses them - which are pointed out to her when it's just too late. Fortunately she has friends in local policeman Bill Wong who is also considered an outsider by the locals (though he's a Gloucestershire lad born and bred, his dad is half Chinese) and Chivers, the orange (marmalade?) kitten he leaves with her to foster.

3.5 stars
The Vicious Vet

A handsome new vet moves into the village and Agatha gets a new neighbour - James, an ex-military colonel who just wants to be left alone to write his book on British military history without having to fend off all the single ladies bringing food to his door. Though Paul, the vet, has plenty of female admirers who consider him a miracle worker for their pets, one elderly lady claims that her Charlie had no reason to die. When Paul, and later his accuser, are found dead due to accidents Agatha thinks it's time to stick her nose in.

I found the way Agatha bosses James around hilarious. And he, colonel that he was, must enjoy their detective work because he goes along with her escapades without much protest. Or not until afterwards, anyway - at which point he's quite voluble.

3.5 stars (rounding down for animal cruelty)

(January 2024)
3.5 stars plus an extra half star for the audio. 4.0 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Just finished listening to 'Quiche of Death' full cast audio (including brass band sound effects). Love hearing Penelope Keith's voice. Though I enjoyed watching Ashley Jensen in the TV adaptation, those 'To the Manor Born' tones are great to hear and suit the character well. 😃
On to 'Vicious Vet'!

6) Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

{second in Shepherd King duology; fantasy, teen romance, dark magic}(2023)

 

This is the second and final part of the Shepherd King's story and we discover it via Elspeth in the Nightmare's mind and flashbacks (the Nightmare being an entity who has been intertwined with Elspeth since her childhood).

But Ravyn knew better. No promise comes without payment. Blunder was a place of magic - barters and bargains. Nothing was free. 'What does the Shepherd King want?' he asked the girl-spirit. 'What is he after?'
'Balance,' she answered, head tilting like a bird of prey. 'To right terrible wrongs. To free Blunder from the Rowans.' Her yellow eyes narrowed, wicked and absolute. 'To collect his due.'

Wild magic used to exist, granted by the Spirit of the Woods. Legend says the Shepherd King tricked the Spirit into giving him magic, with which he created twelve types of Providence Cards which controlled magic so people no longer needed to make offerings to her. In revenge the Spirit surrounded his country of Blunder with a magical mist which cut it off from its surrounding countries. Children caught in the mist run the risk of 'infection' which gives them unknown, uncontrollable magic which is never the same and which usually results in degeneration, of mind, body, spirit or all three.

There are two threads to this story; one is the desperate race by Ravyn (pronounced like the bird's name), Elspeth, Elm, Jespyr and company to collect the complete Deck of magical Providence Cards (including the missing sole Twin Alders card) before Solstice, at which point of the year magic is strongest (and before Ravyn's and Jespyr's brother, Emory, dies from the degeneration caused by the infection), to free the country of Blunder from the magical mist and the other is the story of the Shepherd King and how he originally created the Cards. One Dark Window featured the attraction between Ravyn and Elspeth while in this book his cousin Elm (the king's younger son) finds a partner for whom he is willing to risk almost everything.

Though it continues straight on from the previous book, Two Twisted Crowns doesn't feel quite the same; for one thing it doesn't have the rhymes scattered liberally through it. The overall impression I'm left with is tangled tree branches in the mist (yes, like the cover). I may have read this book in a bit of a rush because I don't remember the details - I had to go back to re-read the end to remember exactly how it went - and, to be honest, I wasn't in the right mood for teen (oh, alright, they were both 22) romance - but that's just me. And Gillig seems to have taken the old adage for writers to do the worst thing they can to their protagonist to heart - so many times everything was in place for our heroes to go ahead and win the day when they were blindsided - usually by Hauth - which set everything back to naught again.

A flash of red. 'Don't move,' came Hauth's voice. 'Don't even speak.'
Salt stung Elm's senses. His mind skittered to a halt, locking his muscles along with it. He was frozen

Though the main story is rounded off and finished, I thought this book raised more questions than it answered - why, for instance, does the magic of the Spirit of the Woods come with salt and why does the Spirit come from the sea in land- and mist-locked Blunder? I also thought Brutus Rowan got a bit of a short shift; I can see why he took the actions he did but he and his descendants are made into the villains of the story (admittedly deservedly so, in some cases).

A good finish but more confusing than the first book.

(January 2024)
3.75 stars

7) Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan (read by Hillary Huber)

{stand-alone; romance, family, non-steamy} (2022)

 

Nora is a script writer for a romance channel living in the small town of Laurel Ridge in upstate New York and she produces scripts which all have the same formula. Her husband, Ben, recently left her and their two children and mostly what Nora felt was relief. Relief that he left her the kids and the house (which she loves but he didn't), relief that he would no longer be blowing their meagre savings on unnecessary extravagances (usually for himself) or belittling her work, in spite of the fact that she was the only one earning a steady income. I love the way Monaghan describes the house and its surroundings.

This house is a disaster, sure. But I fell in love with it when I first looked down the long windy path of the driveway. The magnolia trees that line either side touch in the middle, so that now, in April, you drive through a tunnel of pink flowers. When you emerge onto the main road it feels like you've been transported from one world to another, like a bride leaving the church. It feels like a treat going out for milk, and it feels like a treat coming home.
The house was built by a British doctor named George Faircloth who lived in Manhattan and came upstate to Laurel Ridge in the summer, which explains the complete lack of winterization. It was built to be enjoyed on a seventy-eight-degree day and primarily from the outside. I imagine his landscaping this property like a maestro, arranging the magnolias and the forsythia beneath them to announce the beginning of spring. After a long gray winter, these first pink and yellow blooms shout, "Something's happening!" By May they'll have gone green with the rest of the yard, a quiet before the peonies and hydrangea bloom.

Somehow, though, her feelings about her husband worked their way out in a script that her agent got excited about and sold to Hollywood to make a film for the big screen rather than the romance channel to make a TV movie. The story opens at sunrise at Nora's home on the day that the film company, with the two current hottest movie stars - Leo Vance and Naomi Sanchez - are coming to start filming in the tea house on her back lawn.

The first morning we woke up here, I got up at first light because we didn't have any curtains yet. I took my coffee to the front porch, and the sunrise was the surprise of my life. I'd never seen the house at six A.M. I didn't even know we were facing east. It was like a gift with purchase, a reward for loving this broken place.
I stand on the porch now, taking it in before the movie crew arrives. Pink ribbons, then orange creep up behind the wide-armed oak tree at the end of my lawn. The sun rises behind it differently every day. Some days it's a solid bar of sherbet that rolls up like movie credits and fills the sky. Some days the light dapples through the leaves in a muted gray. The oak won't have leaves for a few weeks, just tiny yellow and white blooms pollinating one another and promising a lawn full of acorns. My lawn is its best self in April, particularly in the morning when it's dew-kissed and catching the light. I don't know the science behind all of it, but I know the rhythm of this property like I know my own body. The sun will rise here every single day.

After filming wraps, and Nora can have her tea house and lawn back, Leo stays on longer ... and longer as he finds this small town the perfect place to detox from his dehumanised life. Nora takes him shopping to her discount grocery store, where he is blown away by the simplicity and by being able to buy his own produce rather than someone delegated to do his shopping for him. And, of course, Nora and Leo (you know the type - hot, sexy, six foot two, smoulders at you) start to fall for each other.

Meanwhile, Nora is juggling being a mum to 8 year old Bernadette and 10 year old Arthur (who's getting to the age where kids are too cool to know you). Bernie is easy going but Arthur (who was never sporty enough for his dad) wants to try out for the school play. Despite telling him not to get into acting, Leo agrees to help him learn lines - and the kids start to bond with him, as he does with them. Of course, nothing perfect lasts in the middle of romance novels and things fall apart. How will Nora and the kids and Leo find their happily ever after - and will it be the one that they thought that they were heading for?

So this was mostly the usual romance formula but it had two plus points for me: 1- no steam and 2- believable kids. I really liked it. There were no 'bad guys' except for the big misunderstanding - which, in itself, was plausible - (and the 'why didn't they communicate?') but everyone around them was rooting for them - or at least for Nora, since it was narrated in first person from her point of view. It was also nice meeting both Nora and Leo's families and good that her sister, Penny, was an important part of her support system.

I liked the narration by Hillary Huber, too; she does a good job of creating different voices, especially of the kids (though I was a bit startled initially when everyone spoke with an American accent, because they wouldn't have sounded like that in my head if I'd been reading it myself). This was a feel-good story. I could read more by this author.

(January 2024)
3.75 stars

Litsy notes

Just starting. Love the description of the garden. And house.

Hillary Huber narrates the audiobook and does a good job of creating different voices, especially of the kids. (Though I confess that if I'd read the book, they wouldn't have had an American accent in my head 🤗; I'm giving audiobooks a go, to see if I can be more productive and still 'read')

Litsy quotes

This house is a disaster, sure. But I fell in love with it when I first looked down the long windy path of the driveway. The magnolia trees that line either side touch in the middle, so that now, in April, you drive through a tunnel of pink flowers. When you emerge onto the main road it feels like you've been transported from one world to another, like a bride leaving the church. It feels like a treat going out for milk, and it feels like a treat coming home.
The house was built by a British doctor named George Faircloth who lived in Manhattan and came upstate to Laurel Ridge in the summer, which explains the complete lack of winterization. It was built to be enjoyed on a seventy-eight-degree day and primarily from the outside. I imagine his landscaping this property like a maestro, arranging the magnolias and the forsythia beneath them to announce the beginning of spring. After a long gray winter, these first pink and yellow blooms shout, "Something's happening!" By May they'll have gone green with the rest of the yard, a quiet before the peonies and hydrangea bloom.
I knew I'd do anything to live here when I saw the tea house in the back. It's a one-room structure the doctor had commissioned to honor the ritual of formal tea. Where the main house is flimsy white clapboard with peeling black shutters, the tea house is made of gray stone with a slate roof. It has a small working fireplace and oak-paneled walls. It's as if Dr. Faircloth reached over the pond and plucked it out of the English countryside. I distinctly remember hearing Ben use the word "shed" when we walked into it, and I ignored him the way you do when you're trying to stay married.
The first morning we woke up here, I got up at first light because we didn't have any curtains yet. I took my coffee to the front porch, and the sunrise was the surprise of my life. I'd never seen the house at six A.M. I didn't even know we were facing east. It was like a gift with purchase, a reward for loving this broken place.
I stand on the porch now, taking it in before the movie crew arrives. Pink ribbons, then orange creep up behind the wide-armed oak tree at the end of my lawn. The sun rises behind it differently every day. Some days it's a solid bar of sherbet that rolls up like movie credits and fills the sky. Some days the light dapples through the leaves in a muted gray. The oak won't have leaves for a few weeks, just tiny yellow and white blooms pollinating one another and promising a lawn full of acorns. My lawn is its best self in April, particularly in the morning when it's dew-kissed and catching the light. I don't know the science behind all of it, but I know the rhythm of this property like I know my own body. The sun will rise here every single day.

8) The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

{Third of 7+ in Green Rider series; fantasy, adventure, magic, re-read}(2007)



It's been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I re-read this book; but it's been even longer since I re-read the first two books so I was a little lost at the beginning (as to why Karigan is sad and angry, for example) but I soon got back into the swing of things.

This starts (I vaguely recall) soon after the ending of the previous book. Karigan is now fully committed to being a Green Rider and has temporarily averted disaster for Sacoridia but no-one is certain how long that will last - and so the Green Riders and the king's advisors have to build their pitifully small defences without the benefit of magic knowledge which their ancestors had. Alton is at the Wall that holds back Blackveil Forest and struggling with his own magic but the D'Yer Wall is starting to fail so it is a race against time to rediscover the magic which was used to create it and shore up the wall before it is needed to hold back the forces of evil. The Wall guardians are annoyingly quirky and do things in their own time. Lady Estora is following her duty and is betrothed but has few real friends at court and wonders what the future holds in store for her. She meets a distant cousin of the king, named Amberhill, who has his own notions of honour. And King Zachary continues to be enigmatic though we do catch a brief glimpse of the man behind the mask, through Captain Mapstone's eyes:

She looked fondly upon Zachary who, when he was a boy, was like a little brother to her. Now he was a man full grown who had truly come into his kingship, every inch of him, his expression grave and his chin set.

The mysterious elves make an appearance and seem ready to discuss an alliance with the human Sacoridians, as well as providing a prophecy:

He simply spoke: "Ari-matiel Jametari says, 'The golden lady shall find safety only in green. A time shall come when black shrouds green, and among the dead a voice shall speak of stone.' "

The enemies of Sacoridia are delving into the secret of Green Rider magic. And a sinister character known as Grandmother is using dark magic to call together the descendants of Second Empire and bring Mornhavon the Black back.

After all her supernatural adventures Karigan is glad to be given a normal mission delivering messages on the other side of the country from Sacor city - even though she also has to take along a young Rider trainee whose attitudes to horses is less than ideal. Of course she and Fergal have adventures on the way as she gets a chance to revisit her old school (from the first book) and see old friends and go on to meet the family who train Rider horses.

But magic is not done with her yet.

I would really like to have had a map in this book as Karigan's and her friends' adventures take them all over the country. I liked seeing points of view other than Karigan's in this book. It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it's good to see that other people also have an important part to play. There are quite a few threads running through this story, seen from different people's perspectives (and not all are Karigan's allies) and told concurrently which help keep the narrative flowing. I'll admit that I wasn't so keen on the love triangle (or should that be quadrangle?) and I was a bit disappointed with Karigan's behaviour towards Estora - although it does highlight the fact that she's as flawed a being as the rest of us humans.

I'm looking forward to continuing with the series - hopefully before I forget the details again. There's enough action and mystery behind the magic to keep the story flowing and a lot happens although we're still a bit in limbo by the end of the book with regards to the overarching story of how to deal with Mornhavon if and when he returns.

(January 2024)

Review posted in 2011
Karigan G'ladheon, heroine of the first two Green Rider novels, is off on another adventure. Although Sacoridia is celebrating the betrothal of King Zachary, and enjoying a temporary reprieve from the threat of Mornhavon the Black, unbeknown to them, a new threat is growing. The hidden descendants of Mornhavon's supporters are gathering to strike. Meanwhile, the D'Yer Wall, built to contain Mornhavon, is failing. Karigan, sent on an extended Rider mission, finds herself racing to save the kingdom once again, and in so doing, learns more about Rider magic and the royal tombs below the castle.

I like this series. Although I hit a slow spot in this book, about a third of the way in, it became a page-turner again, and I'm looking forward to reading the fourth book.

(May 2011)
3.5 stars stars

Litsy notes & quotes

It‘s been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I‘m re-reading. But it‘s been even longer since I re-read the 1st 2 books so I‘m a little lost at the beginning (why Karigan is sad and angry for example). I‘m sure it‘ll come back to me as I go along.

I like seeing POVs other than Karigan‘s (Alton, Lady Estora). It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it‘s good to see that other people also have a part to play.

9) Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

{stand alone; dating, Singapore/ Malaysia, tiger mum, family expectations}(2020)

 

A story about placating Tiger Mothers and meeting the expectations of Chinese families. Light and doesn’t take itself at all seriously.

Opens with the family Chinese New Year celebration (appropriately, Chinese New Year happens to be coming up in a couple of weeks) in Singapore of the Tang clan, at which Andrea Tang (a Malaysian Chinese) runs the gauntlet of inquisition by her aunties and discovers that she will soon be the last of her generation to not be married - a fate worse than death, by auntie standards. Having broken up with her long-term boyfriend the previous year, she decides to get back into the dating game, even going so far as to let her mother set her up with the son of a friend (read 'passing acquaintance'). She happens to meet an Indonesian Chinese billionaire but she also sneaks glances at her British Indian co-worker who is competing with her for the position of partner at their law firm - a long-held cherished dream of Andrea's. Or maybe her mum's.

I thought this would strike a chord with me, between the Singaporean setting and the tussles with family expectations. It was a decent effort but not for me. The characters didn't have enough depth for me to connect with them, nor much emotional chemistry with each other, that I could discern. Andrea and her friends have money to burn and quite happily do so (she's always acquiring a new designer handbag).

But what do I know, I'm just a poor everyman." I laughed a little self-consciously-what must this older man think of poor li'l entitled me moaning about life in my relatively pricey clothes and champagne and $350 cologne.

(I'm not sure if the author was trying to make a point here, but it wasn't expanded upon.) The girlfriends seem to spend a lot of their time partying which results in them being passed out drunk and spending the next day hung over. Of Andrea's two suitors, they seemed equally attractive to her/ attracted by her but I didn't feel we were shown why. So when she made her final choice, there wasn’t much between them, for me, and I could have seen her going for the other one. I did understand the case Ho was making for her not to choose him but it was a bit nebulous.

One thing that was good for me, personally, was that it was set in Singapore so some of the scenery/ geography was familiar; however I didn't feel that, though accurate, Ho gave it a sense of place for people not familiar to the country. Also on the plus side is that it is (fairly) cross-cultural; something that, to be perfectly honest, hasn’t quite been resolved in real life in this neck of the woods (see Andrea’s mother’s refusal to talk to her other child because she’s dating a Muslim man).

Another thing I liked - new discovery reading on Overdrive in my browser/ Libby on my iPad - was that it had little stars to denote Singapore-specific phrases and by clicking on them it would take me to the footnote.

I feel we can all relate, to some extent, to this little quote which prefaces the story:

Remember that your relatives are only human-
That means they can be killed.
-Andrea Tang Ancient Chinese Proverb

Hmm. Well, if it's an ancient Chinese proverb, maybe there's something in it?...

(January 2024)
2.5-3 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Remember that your relatives are only human-
That means they can be killed.
-Andrea Tang Ancient Chinese Proverb

Hmm. Well, if it's an ancient Chinese proverb, maybe there's something in it?

Appropriately, it starts at Chinese New Year, which happens to be coming up in a couple of weeks.

But what do I know, I'm just a poor everyman." I laughed a little self-consciously-what must this older man think of poor li'l entitled me moaning about life in my relatively pricey clothes and champagne and $350 cologne.

10) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

{First of 3 (+2 novellas) Regency Faery Tales; fantasy, Regency, parallel world, sorcery}(2020)



As a child, Dora's soul was claimed by Lord Hollowvale but her cousin Vanessa saved her before he could take all of it by plunging her embroidery scissors into his leg, since faery beings cannot abide the touch of iron.

Lord Hollowvale jerked back from the scissors. Fear briefly clouded his face as he glanced down at them—a strange circumstance, since the scissors were only a little bigger than Vanessa's little fist, and their eyes were decorated with cheerful little roses. Vanessa drew Dora slowly around the faerie and back towards the manor, keeping her scissors squarely between herself and the marquess.
"As you wish, niece of Georgina Ettings," the elf spat finally. "I have full half of my payment. May you make good use of the other!"

Since then, Dora (Theodora Ettings) has always worn the scissors around her neck as protection against him returning to steal the other half of her soul but she has been unable to feel any deep emotions and knows that she doesn't react like normal people. Her aunt (Dora is an orphan) seems constantly exasperated by Dora's lack of emotion and her inappropriate responses; essentially, Dora has no filter and says what she's thinking out loud.

Now in danger of becoming spinsters at the grand old ages of 20 and 19, the cousins travel to London for the Season - where the Lord Sorcier, Elias Wilder, is also to be found as well as his friend Albert Lowe, a physician who happens to be the third son of Lord and Lady Carroway. Vanessa feels that the Lord Sorcier might be able to help Dora with her magical problem. And Dora might discover that she can feel emotions, even with only half a soul.

Though they are members of the nobility both Wilder and Lowe engage in charitable work, specifically trying to cure a magical plague affecting the labour classes in London. Atwater shows us a lower tier of society from those we usually see in Regency novels - though I don't know enough to attest to the accuracy or lack thereof of the workhouses and so on that she describes, myself. The medical angle was interesting and unusual and I did like the way all the loose ends were neatly tied up. I'm getting used to seeing discrepancies in small details of the manners of the period and the country in novels written now but set then (hardly a new gripe for me) but this is a parallel England where magic is used for the benefit of the nation - so it's easy to turn a blind eye in this instance.

I liked this gentle story though I did feel a bit like Dora; muffled in cotton and a little distant from emotions. I wondered, as I read, if the author wanted us to feel that Dora is on the spectrum (to coin a phrase) though that angle wasn't expanded on. It was nice to see things working out well for her in the end - because who doesn't like a Faery Tale to end happily ever after?

(January 2024)
3.5-4 stars

11) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

{First of ? in Empyrean series; dragons, military school, erotic} (2023)

 

I listened to the audiobook (so please forgive any spelling errors especially with regards to names). It is narrated in first person from Violet's point of view, except the last chapter which is from Zayden's point of view. I'm not sure what to classify this as; not a romance because there isn't any - though there's enough sex and tension - and, yes there are dragons and it's set on a world with some magic, but I don't know that it's fantasy. All Yarros's other series (none of them are fantasy) look like they've been tagged as adult or steamy.

Violet Soringale is the youngest child of the famous General Soringale and her scribe husband. Her brother and sister became dragon riders, like their mother, (though her brother died in the war) and Violet has trained all her life to be a scribe like her dad and is the scribe master's star pupil. But, just before the day when everyone her age chooses their vocation, her mother decrees that she will also become a dragon rider - or train to become one though her sister Mira tries to convince their mother that the training will kill Violet; Violet has a condition which causes her joints to slip so she will have to hide this weakness from the other candidates. Candidates die just trying to cross a narrow bridge to get to the college and then they are allowed to try and eliminate each other, since there are always more cadets than dragons willing to bond. However their mother is adamant so Mira prepares Violet as best she can and warns her to stay away from Zayden Riderson who will hate her on principle - he is the son of the rebellion leader that their mother executed about six years ago and, as a third year, could easily kill her during training with no repercussions.

So Violet enters training and does her best to survive until Threshing, when any dragons who choose to bond will choose a rider. And then (I'm pretty sure it's not a spoiler that, of course, she bonds) she has to survive training with her dragon.

The narration (by Rebecca Soler) was alright. I was occasionally thrown out of the story to wonder if I would have read something the same way if I had read a print book. I was continually confused, especially at the beginning, as to whether she said 'rider' or 'writer' (ie dragon rider or scribe) and I was also not always sure whether characters were speaking to other characters or if the protagonist was holding an internal conversation.

I have to say, listening to the narrator(s) reading all that swearing got really annoying, especially towards the end.

This book would work better if you could read it straight through without stopping to think, but even the audiobooks is 21 hours long so it took me a few days. I stopped overnight almost at the end with about three chapters still to go so I was mulling it over and the plot holes (you know, the ones you're too intent on reading to stop and examine and subconsciously trust will be resolved as you read on) got larger and threatened the fabric of the story as I thought about it. Having finished the book now, the threads of it are only just hanging together. This is more of a steamy affair dressed up as a fantasy; there are two explicit sex scenes plus others that build the tension in this enemies-to-lovers trope (not a spoiler; it's pretty much announced with a foghorn when their eyes first meet) (and also in the blurb/ on the back of the book). Zayden's point of view (if you listen between the expletives) is possibly a touch more romantic but otherwise I don't see any emotional attraction between them.

It did start off quite well - until the two love interests hooked up at which point the plot sort of changed direction; once they did, it was all about how they could barely keep their hands off each other every time their glances crossed. The bad qualities of the anti-heroes are a bit over exaggerated to contrast with the good guys. Violet is, of course, good at everything and even learns how not to be beaten up (in spite of her handicap) in hand-to-hand combat. I found the behaviour of her best friend in particular not quite believable. I don't think I was given enough to be invested in any of the characters.

The dragons (which seem clones of those in the Harry Potter books) were inconsistent: when we first meet them they incinerate candidates on a whim (culling the weak, apparently) and they seem inhuman and alien with a different agenda to humans but, after we go through Threshing (at around the part of the book where the plot seemed to change direction) once they telepathically bond they turn into Pernese dragons (including the idea that if one partner in the bond dies, the other will succumb also - though in this case, it's the human who'd die) and will do anything to keep their riders alive. But on the other hand if the riders fall off during training, the dragons will let them though they can demonstrably catch them - as Violet's (but no-one else's) does. I did like Ten's (Violet's dragon) grumpiness though Adina was possibly a bit too cute.

It did seem weird that, though dragon riders are desperately needed to defend the borders (one dragon rider a-dragonback is the military equivalent of one cohort (or something) of infantry), the training is set up to be so dangerous that cadets die or that they are allowed to kill each other during training with no repercussions. As it is, we're told, they don't have enough and fewer dragons choose to be bonded each year. That's just shooting yourself in the foot, logistically speaking. I never worked out what the war was about or why Navarre's borders have to be defended so energetically. There was also the centuries-old secret, linked to the reason for the rebellion, that was partly revealed at the end. As far as it went, there didn't seem to be a reason to keep the secret or go to war - or brutally and bloodily suppress the rebellion - over it. But maybe that will be explained in the second book?

Good points? I didn't throw the book across the room (I would never) or DNFed it but probably because I was listening to the audiobook as I was updating my LT catalogue so I didn't give it all my focus. Upto where they hooked up it was decent enough and then it veered between okay and annoying. It had a promising start but headed downhill around about Threshing. The off-on-off-on-off ... affair was annoying; Violet kept inventing things that weren't there - such as being offended that Zayden didn't tell her a secret that obviously wasn't his to tell - even though there's precedent because she's been keeping a secret that wasn't hers to tell so I didn't think her reaction was justified and it felt like she was wallowing in self-pity for no reason. And that ending? Grow up, Violet.

This has a similar premise to Rosario Munda's Fireborne but that was better done and without the casual swearing and steaminess or insta-lust (but with a sweet and believable romance). While I ended up buying the whole Aurelian Cycle trilogy for my shelves, I borrowed this from the library too but, if I get around to the sequel, I will borrow it rather than buy my own copy. I notice that there is a different audiobook of Fourth Wing narrated by a whole cast; as there are only audiobooks of this series in my Overdrive libraries, I'll wait until they bring out the whole cast version of the next book and see if it works better for me.

(February 2024)
3-3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

- Listening to the 4th Wing audiobook. Bit confused as to when the narrator says 'rider' or 'writer' (Violet has trained all her life to be a scribe but her mum decrees she will be a dragonrider). Also never sure when characters are speaking/ protagonist is thinking
Seems weird when dragon riders are desperately needed to defend the borders that the training is so dangerous that cadets die/ are allowed to kill each other.

- About 3 chapters from the end: the bad qualities of the anti-heroes are a bit over exaggerated to contrast with the good guys. I found the behaviour of one character in particular not quite believable. This is more of a steamy romance dressed up as a fantasy; there are 2 explicit sex scenes plus others that build the tension in this enemies to lovers trope.

- Similar premise to Rosario Munda‘s ‘Firebourne‘ but that was better done and without the casual swearing and steaminess. Where I borrowed that from the library and then went out and bought the whole trilogy for my shelves, I borrowed this from the library too and, while I‘m happy to read the sequel, I will borrow it rather than buy my own copy.
ETA: Though (having now finished this book) I doubt I'm going to rush out to borrow the 2nd one.

- Stopped overnight with those 3 chapters still to go and the plot holes (the ones you‘re too intent on reading to stop and examine and just trust will be resolved as you read on) got larger and are threatening the fabric of the story. Let‘s see if they do get resolved or not …

- They weren't resolved (eg the secret that has been kept for centuries for no reason). The dragons were inconsistent: when we first meet them they incinerate candidates on a whim (culling the weak) but once they bond, will do anything to keep their riders alive (per Violet's). But if they fall off, they'll let them though they can demonstrably catch them. And Violet ... she's good at everything even though no-one thought she'd survive.
Annoyed 😕

Just listened to the audiobook (and I thought it was Zayden Riderson 😁); it wasn't his secret to keep and she's been keeping a secret that wasn't hers to keep. I didn't think her reaction was justified. The off-on-off-on-off ... affair is getting annoying.

I've borrowed The Merciful Crow twice from the library; now I have my own copy.

12) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

{first in duology; fantasy, YA, re-read} (2019)

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not.

In the land of Sabor everyone belongs to a different caste, each named for birds. There are twelve castes in Sabor of which the Phoenix is the highest and the Crows are the lowest, considered almost untouchables. The rulers of Sabor are of the Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire; they can summon fire from nothing and will not be burned by fire. Every caste except the Crows has a birthright of magic, granted by the one thousand dead gods; caste members seem to have limited uses of their magic but caste witches - of which there are one thousand in total across Sabor - can wield the power. The Crow caste, however, has no magic and has no home but the roads; but, though Crows have no innate magic, Crow witches can borrow a birthright from the bones or teeth of other castes.

"You knew," Fie accused, stacking up every horrid piece. "That's why you ran."
Jasimir shook his head, adamant. "It didn't sound possible until now. All three Swan witches are accounted for, she has no sign, and Tavin and I witnessed the marriage ceremony ourselves. We didn't know she could lose her Birthright for only a moon. I swear, I came to your band for help because Rhusana allied with the Oleanders, and for that reason alone." Fie scowled, baleful, at the dirt. "Aught else you want to tell me? Tatterhelm's got a meaner cousin? The king's really two asps in a fancy robe?"
"I still don't know what Viimo meant about ghasts," Tavin said.
"Me either." Fie's gut twisted. Pa had taught her how to call Swan teeth just on principle, for they had but a largely useless few. Still, in the handful of times she'd blinked through the life in a dead Swan's spark, she'd heard no whisper of ghasts. And that, like so many things, bode ill. Grim silence settled over them once more as Fie plaited a whole new set of troubles into the ones on her head.
Then Tavin's voice broke in. "I really have to know: Which one of us is Pissabed?"

(Crows are named for the first word spoken in anger after they are born. Fie has had to make up Crow names for them on the spur of the moment.)

Crows are tolerated because they, alone, are immune to the Sinners' Plague which kills animals and people horribly and painfully and can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month, so it is their duty - which they cannot refuse if they see the plague beacon - to collect the bodies of plague victims for which they receive a fee, which is how they make their living. If they find victims still alive it is their duty to dispatch them (hence 'merciful Crow') because the plague is incurable and highly contagious. Although the wandering families of Crows are the only thing preventing the land being overrun by the plague Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down for sport.

Sixteen year old Fie is the daughter of a Crow Chief whom she calls Pa (who adopted her after her mother was hunted down) and is being trained by him to be a chief for one of the Crow bands that roam Sabor. She can borrow the magic of a person's caste, for a limited time, from their teeth which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else for their fee and she can also see past lives from the touch of bones. She knows that, despite Saborian laws, Crows are treated as outcasts and hunted and tortured by the so called Oleander Gentry who ride masked at night and so they must live circumspectly even as they walk the roads of Sabor.

The story opens when Fie's band has been called to the palace to deal mercy to a plague victim, if necessary, for the first time in 500 years. When the queen tries to cheat them of their viatik (or rightful payment) - as so often happens to Crows - Pa lets Fie set the price. And she makes a deal that could make life safer for all Crows - if she can pull it off.

I do like Tavin's irrepressible, flippant humour. He knows how to break the tension; the Crows are running for their lives with Queen Rhusana and the Oleander Gentry (the equivalent of the KKK) after them and they've just realised everything is even worse than they thought. I like the map at the beginning of the book and I also found the table of castes, with their birthrights, useful.

Very enjoyable. After borrowing this book from the library twice, I've now bought the duology for my own shelves.

(February 2024)
4.5-5*****

Litsy notes & quotes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

"You knew," Fie accused, stacking up every horrid piece. "That's why you ran."
Jasimir shook his head, adamant. "It didn't sound possible until now. All three Swan witches are accounted for, she has no sign, and Tavin and I witnessed the marriage ceremony ourselves. We didn't know she could lose her Birthright for only a moon. I swear, I came to your band for help because Rhusana allied with the Oleanders, and for that reason alone." Fie scowled, baleful, at the dirt. "Aught else you want to tell me? Tatterhelm's got a meaner cousin? The king's really two asps in a fancy robe?"
"I still don't know what Viimo meant about ghasts," Tavin said.
"Me either." Fie's gut twisted. Pa had taught her how to call Swan teeth just on principle, for they had but a largely useless few. Still, in the handful of times she'd blinked through the life in a dead Swan's spark, she'd heard no whisper of ghasts. And that, like so many things, bode ill. Grim silence settled over them once more as Fie plaited a whole new set of troubles into the ones on her head.
Then Tavin's voice broke in. "I really have to know: Which one of us is Pissabed?"

I do like Tavin‘s irrepressible, flippant humour. He knows how to break the tension; they‘re running for their lives with Queen R and the equivalent of the KKK after them and they‘ve just realised everything is even worse than they thought.
(Fie has had to make up Crow alibis for them and give them fake names; Mongrel & Pissabed.

unposted review from May 2022:

19) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

 

First of 2? Fantasy (2019)

In the land of Sabor everyone belongs to a different caste, named for birds, and every caste except the Crows has a gods-given birthright. The rulers of Sabor are of the Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire; they can summon fire from nothing and will not be burned by fire. But Crows are immune to the Sinners' Plague which kills animals and people horribly and painfully and can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month, so it is their duty - which they cannot refuse if they see the plague beacon - to collect the bodies of plague victims for which they receive a fee, which is how they make their living. If they find victims still alive it is their duty to dispatch them (hence 'merciful Crow') because the plague is incurable and highly contagious. Although the wandering families of Crows are the only thing preventing the land being overrun by the plague Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down for sport.

Sixteen year old Fie is a Crow Chief's adopted daughter and is being trained by him to be a chief because she, like him, is a witch. She can borrow the magic of a person's caste, for a limited time, from their teeth which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else for their fee and she can also see past lives from the touch of bones. The story begins as Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the first time ever to collect plague victims, and ends up striking a bargain that could change the lives of all Crows.

May 2022
4.5 stars

Litsy notes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

13) The Four Forges by Jenna Rhodes

{first in Elven Ways tetralogy; fantasy, magic, elves}(2006)

 

About 700 years before the story starts the Vaelinars (also known as elves) were cataclysmically exiled to the world of Kerith which was already inhabited by other humanoid and non-humanoid races and they now all live uneasily together. The Vaelinar are still called 'the Strangers' by the native races and hold themselves apart; they are long-lived (a couple of them even remember the exile though they would have been children then) and are now the only race with magic and don't usually acknowledge Vaelinar half-breeds since they do not carry magic in their blood. The two prologues which give us this information are written as though penned by historians of this world; the language in them is awkward and hard to follow but the narrative picks up once the actual story starts.

We follow a few characters of different races through this story. Sevryn is a half-blood Vaelinar who does not have their striking, multi-coloured eyes - but, unusually, he does have magic and finds it useful to be underestimated. The Farbranches are a dwarve-like Dweller family with three sons and a daughter who wants a sister - and they rescue a young girl from the nearby river who has Vaelinar looks and no family so they adopt her as their own and give her the name Rivergrace. In the larger world of Kerith there are war-like factions who want to break the uneasy peace or conquer lands and peoples in a quest for power; the Vaelinar ild Fallyn clan likes to make trouble and Quendius the half-breed Vaelinar wants to challenge the gods of Kerith - who abandoned their peoples when the Vaelinar arrived.

I like the warmth of the Farbranch family. Their everyday lives are woven through this fantasy and give the story a structure to build around as we spend much of the book following them, first in the countryside where they suffer Bolger and Raver raids and then in the city, where they meet other races. They also meet Lariel the Vaelinar Warrior Queen and Sevryn. There are politics and war brewing and even some environmental pollution - although I felt that particular issue was resolved a bit easily.

This is the first book of a tetralogy; although the ending is wrapped up neatly enough that it could be read as a stand-alone though it leaves enough open to continue the overarching story in the next book. It does do a lot of world building so there are initially a lot of threads to follow until they are braided together and it covers a lot of physical territory too; I could have done with a map. The timeline is initially confusing because there is a gap of twenty years between the first few chapters and the rest of the book which is not filled in and, possibly, because the Vaelinars have long lives which skews the concept of relative ages.

I think this was a LibraryThing automatic recommendation and it was quite engaging. There were some animal deaths, casually mentioned and not dwelt on, which I could have done without though it was probably only enough to take my rating down by a quarter of a star.

3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

The timeline is a bit confusing; years/ decades can pass between chapters, maybe because some of the characters are long lived Vaelinars (elves). I‘m ~ 1/4 way through and following a few characters. I‘m not sure yet how they relate to each other, though they do interact unawares.
There are many different races/ species on this planet (Kerith) who live uneasily together.
I do like the warmth of the Farbranch family, who are Dwellers (dwarves).

About 2/5 the way through and still not entirely sure of the direction but the world building is holding my attention

Maps would have been useful. There are several incidental animal deaths

Kerith has many humanoid and non-humanoid race living uneasily together including the Vaelinar from another world. There are politics and war brewing. Against this epic fantasy is interwoven the everyday life of the Farbranch family which gives it structure. Nicely done 👍🏼

Doesn‘t end on a cliff hanger and feels like a complete story but leaves enough open to continue the overarching story in the next book. I think this was a LibraryThing recommendation for me

14) The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

{first of 5+1 in Lockwood & Co.; fantasy, adventure, mystery, paranormal, children's, young adult, television adaptation}(2013)

 

The story is told from Lucy Carlysle's point of view in the first person and opens as she and Lockwood (of Lockwood and Company) are about to enter a house on a case; Lockwood is a somewhat irrepressible character:

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

In this parallel universe Britain has been afflicted by the Problem for the last fifty years or so, where all manner of paranormal activities and hauntings (classified as Types 1, 2 or 3) have sprung up all over the country with potentially fatal results and only children can sense the apparitions. As darkness falls, curfew is called when everyone goes indoors, safe behind iron and salt, and only children go out to work either as guards or - the more sensitive ones - to work for agencies, banishing the Visitors. Most agencies do some work for the government, specifically with the department known as DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control), and they all have adult supervisors who used to be agents but are no longer sensitive.

Lockwood and company, as we discover through Lucy's flashbacks, are the only agency with no adults - consisting solely, in fact, of (Anthony) Lockwood, George and Lucy, all around 14 to 16 years old - and not linked to DEPRAC (although Inspector Barnes drops by from time to time when things aren't looking good). Lockwood owns the house (the details of how are only hinted at vaguely) in which they all live and work and can convince them (Lucy, anyway; George likes to research cases thoroughly first - if he's given the chance) to take the most dangerous risks on the strength of his smile.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It's too early in the morning and I haven't had my breakfast'

I liked the banter; there was enough to keep it somewhat lighthearted without being overwhelming.

This seems to be set in a parallel London (although at one point Lucy 'fixed tea' which sounded odd) of about 40 years ago, where there are cars and telephones and Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies wear hats.

On the first case that we see (not Lucy's first, as she has been with Lockwood and Company - her second agency - for six months at this point) they have been called in by a widow whose husband fell down the stairs and now she feels a presence in the house. In solving the case, Lucy finds a necklace which involves them in another case. Meanwhile, desperate for business to keep the company afloat, Lockwood accepts a case at a manor house in Berkshire which has been haunted for centuries and where more deaths keep occurring - including a team from one of the oldest and best ghost agencies.

Wow, this was a nail biting page turner! And a BB from drneutron (thanks doc!) who also seems to be a fan of the Netflix series based on this books series - another thing I need to look into. The edition I borrowed from the library had a preface by the author complementing the Netflix actors and setting. The plotting was good, the pacing was good and I didn't want to put this book down (though I may have wanted to look away at times). And though it's about paranormal Visitors, it wasn't a scary book (I don't read horror) though there was plenty of tension.

The title reminded me of the Nancy Drew stories I used to read as a child - but this is nothing like! This was a good book and I'll be looking for the rest of the series. It's billed as a children's/ young adult's book but doesn't talk down to its audience. I've recommended it to my 15 year old son, too, since he's a Skulduggery Pleasant fan - let's see what he thinks.

ETA: I watched the first episode of the Netflix series last night and introduced my husband to it, too. I found it fascinating comparing it to the book though he found it a bit scary (though he used to be into horror - which I can't watch).

And, of course, a good cup of tea is absolutely essential.

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

February 2024
4.5-5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Set in London, presumably contemporary since they have Velcro. Not sure why she ‘fixed‘ tea though.

On ch 2. They are ghost hunters since only children can sense paranormal phenomena properly and on a case in a haunted house

Set in a parallel universe where England has been invaded by ghosts. There are cars, trains, electricity, Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies still wear hats

Nail biting!

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It‘s too early in the morning and I haven‘t had my breakfast

15) Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

{stand alone; romance, ghosts, puns}(2022)

 

A story about a ghostwriter - who also sees ghosts. This was sort of a book bullet for the author by way another of her books, The Seven Year Slip.

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for the very famous romance writer Ann Nichols but no-one knows other than the two of them, Ann's agent and their editor. But Florence, as the story opens, is about to meet her new editor, Benji Andor (who, she discovers, is pretty hot), and she's not sure if he knows the secret. The problem is that she has a deadline to meet but she can't write the 'happily ever after' ending prescribed for Ann's books after she a bad break up from her boyfriend, Lee, in the last year (the love interest keeps dropping dead in the middle of the scene).

Then Florence gets bad news from home and has to return from NYC to the Southern town of Mairmont, South Carolina where she grew up and where the family business (a funeral home) is - and where she hasn't returned since graduating from high school because she sees dead people so she got badly bullied even though she solved a murder. And while she's there, Ben turns up - but he's a ghost.

I stared through the window at the stacks of romance novels, with Ann Nichols's new books at the top. The ones I wrote - Midnight Matinee, A Rake's Guide —all of them. Dad walked by this bookstore every day on his daily lunch breaks to Fudge's. He must've seen this display, these books. I wondered if he ever ducked into the store and bought one. I wondered if Mom loved the dry humor in Nichols's new ones. Mom and I never really talked about books after mine failed. I didn't want to talk about books at all after that.
I turned to keep walking, when Ben backtracked and nodded his head toward the door. "Let's go in."
"Why?"
"Because I like bookstores," he replied, and stepped backward through the closed door. I had half a mind to not follow him, but a part of me wondered what section he gravitated toward. Literary? Horror? I couldn't even imagine him in the romance aisle, towering and broody in his pristine button-down shirts and ironed trousers. The bell above the door rang as I stepped into the cozy bookstore. The woman behind the counter, Mrs. Holly, had been there for twenty-odd years. She looked up from her book with a smile. "Well, I'll be damned! Florence Day." Even my local booksellers back in Jersey didn't know my name, but it seemed like a decade away couldn't erase me from small-town memory.

Florence decides to be like her dad (who also talks to ghosts) and help Ben with his unresolved business. If they can work out what it is. And it's a shame he's dead because he turns out to be a really sweet guy (as well as sexy) and she could have fallen for him. There are lots of mentions of golden retrievers (you know that's a plus point for me), lots of name dropping of book titles, authors and publishing houses (including a list of Ash's comfort reads at the end) and lots of deathly puns - you have been warned.

My ears began to burn with a blush, and I glanced away from him. He was a ghost, Florence. Very much dead. And off-limits. "You know, if I was any other kind of person, I'd ask you to haunt Lee Marlow's hipster ass?"
"A ghost for hire."
"You'd be chillingly good at it."
"I have a bone to pick with him, anyhow"
"Oh?" I laughed. "Were you in love with him, too?"
"No, but you were. And I can tell that it hurts."

The town mayor* is a retriever (been re-elected twice, in fact) and who doesn't love a happy dog? And when isn't a retriever happy? I'm not ashamed to admit that it tipped my rating upwards.

Granted, we're mostly in Florence's head and the secondary characters aren't very detailed but this was a light-hearted, feel-good story with romance, a lot of family love, friends and (thankfully for me) minimum steam - and also puns and, most importantly, Fetch the retriever. I like the way he pops up at the edges of scenes being taken for walks visiting his constituents and so on.

*in real life, per Wikipedia, the unincorporated town of Idyllwild in California has had golden retrievers (Max, Max II and Max III) as their mayors since 2012.

February 2024
3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

A book about a ghost-writer - who also sees ghosts. 2 chapters in, getting lots of other book titles and authors. 📕 📙

So many puns in this one.

And so many mentions of golden retrievers. I think I like this one ...
ETA: heaven's sakes, the town mayor is a retriever. I *love* this one.

"Oh, look! Annie's books."
"What?" I stared through the window at the stacks of romance novels, with Ann Nichols's new books at the top. The ones I wrote - Midnight Matinee, A Rake's Guide —all of them. Dad walked by this bookstore every day on his daily lunch breaks to Fudge's. He must've seen this display, these books. I wondered if he ever ducked into the store and bought one. I wondered if Mom loved the dry humor in Nichols's new
ones. Mom and I never really talked about books after mine failed. I didn't want to talk about books at all after that.
I turned to keep walking, when Ben backtracked and nodded his head toward the door. "Let's go in."
"Why?"
"Because I like bookstores," he replied, and stepped backward through the closed door. I had half a mind to not follow him, but a part of me wondered what section he gravitated toward. Literary? Horror? I couldn't even
imagine him in the romance aisle, towering and broody in his pristine button-down shirts and ironed trousers. The bell above the door rang as I stepped into the cozy bookstore. The woman behind the counter, Mrs. Holly, had been there for
twenty-odd years. She looked up from her book with a smile. "Well, I'Il be damned! Florence Day." Even my local booksellers back in Jersey didn't know my name, but it seemed like a decade away couldn't erase me from small-town
memory.

Florence (the ghostwriter) and Ben (the ghost) see Ann Nichols's books in the bookshop of Florence's hometown.

My ears began to burn with a blush, and I glanced away from him. He was a ghost, Florence. Very much dead. And off-limits. “You know, if I was any other kind of person, I'd ask you to haunt Lee Marlow's hipster ass?“
“A ghost for hire.“
“You'd be chillingly good at it.“
“I have a bone to pick with him, anyhow“
“Oh?“ I laughed. “Were you in love with him, too?“
“No, but you were. And I can tell that it hurts.“

Lots of puns in this book.

ASH'S COMFORT READS

Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones.
• Beach Read, Emily Henry.
• Dragon's Bait, Vivian Vande Velde.
• The Proposal, Jasmine Guillory.
• Dating You / Hating You, Christina Lauren.
• Well Met, Jen DeLuca.
• A Winter's Promise, Christelle Dabos.
• Boyfriend Material, Alexis Hall.
• The Princess Bride, William Goldman.

Some of the books mentioned in this story

16) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

{stand alone; children's, fairytale retelling, magic, The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Anderson, fables, fairytales}(2011)

 

This was another book bullet for an author for me (foggidawn and curioussquared discussing other books of hers) but it might be one of those cases where I raised my expectations too high whereas if I had read it cold I'd have appreciated it more.

Hmm; I'm not quite sure what to think about this one. It was a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen and (though I haven't read it in quite a while) those elements were all there as I remembered them. The protagonists are Hazel (who is adopted and whose father has recently moved away from the family home) and her best friend Jack (whose mother seems to be suffering from depression), both in the fifth grade at their local elementary school. Both very real children who connect with each other as with no-one else because they both have wonderfully active imaginations (Hazel's parents came to get her in a rocket ship, for example) and no-one else seems to willing or able to live in the same worlds as they do.

I liked Hazel's mum; she's obviously in a difficult situation and also doing her best to understand and help Hazel. I suppose I'm at that point in my life that, though I can see the magic, I empathise with parents - but I felt that maybe I was therefore on the 'other side' from Hazel and Jack which made me feel vaguely guilty (scratchy?) while reading this story.

The story is told in the third person from Hazel's point of view. She doesn't feel as though she fits in, especially as she's recently had to transfer from a more permissive school, but Jack is her best friend and next door neighbour though he's not in the same class. They have adventures in imaginary lands together and at school he plays with her at every recess - until something gets in his eye and he changes. And then he disappears because he's been whisked away by the Snow Queen. Hazel, with her vivid imagination, is the only one who can see through the magic and rescue him but first she has to navigate through the woods (which are not the woods of her Minnesota town) to the Snow Queen's palace.

Hazel stepped into the woods gingerly, expecting to land in a thick cushion of snow. So she stumbled when her foot went all the way to solid ground. It was not winter in the woods—at least in these woods.

As she goes through the woods she encounters familiar (to us) folk tales and fairy tales but as she goes further they become twisted away from the ones that we're used to. (Maybe these were the 'breadcrumbs'? As Hazel noted, there weren't any others):

Hazel watched the face of the compass as the needle wavered slightly, as if afraid to make too firm a commitment. But it was pointing roughly the way she was heading. Hazel was going north. Her heart lifted a little. This might be a magic woods, but there was still a north here. It was a place, like any other. The compass would guide her to Jack, and then guide her home. Who needed breadcrumbs?
She had a compass. She had a direction. She had a path. She knew where north was. So Hazel stepped on the path and headed forward.

And that was the point at which I got confused. Was it supposed to be familiar or sunder expectations? And if the second, was it supposed to be scary? Given that it's a children's book, probably not - but I felt that I was missing something, maybe an allegory, and I couldn't work out what. I felt that the ending resolved some things (and it looks like Hazel is starting to make other friends) but left a lot of questions open.

(February 2024)
3-3.5 stars

17) A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers (2020)

18) The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (2023)

19) Paragon Lost by Dave Duncan (2002)

20) Off Season by Clive Fleury

{first in Detective Ryan series; crime, gangsters, Sydney, detective, LTER} (2024)

  

I received this e-book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. To be honest, crime isn't my preferred genre; I requested it because I have family in Australia and because I was curious about the lead character, detective Ramesh Ryan.

The story is set in 2021 (though it was published 2024). Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective - until he loses a guaranteed-win high profile case against a drug king-pin and is asked to temporarily move to the Central Coast town of Barton, several hours' drive north of Sydney, 'for his safety'. Coincidentally at the same time a drug shipment is mishandled just off the coast from Sydney and then bodies start turning up in Barton just after Ryan arrives there. Plus there's a fifteen year old mystery to be solved. The title 'Off Season' is because Barton thrives off the tourist trade in the summer but the story takes place during the off season when only the local residents are in town.

I thought the writing was decent enough, the plotting was good and the action flowed well. I found it easy to put down but easy to pick up again (though it took me a bit longer to read than I was initially expecting, looking at my e-reader page count) and I liked the little continuity links between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next (maybe the author's screenplay experience coming through?). I thought the seaside town was depicted well (Ryan's partial ethnicity is noticed) though I couldn't say either way how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

However, the book could have done with better editing. Towards the beginning of the book there were several random, awkward exclamation marks! And though the story was told from the third person point of view, I noticed one chapter where it switched from the attacker to the victim within the same scene which was disorienting. There were many examples of odd or wrong word choices (four is a number, not a letter; 'revelry' is not the same as 'reverie'; I'm not quite sure what a 'blood wrenching cry' is and so on) which jarred me out of the story whenever I came across them and sentences were often quite short which chopped up the flow of the narrative. There were a few brand names scattered through; three or four specific ones cropped up frequently which had me wondering if they sponsored the book.

I do find it a bit hard to believe that a silver medalist Olympian (not Olympiad) from the last games could go missing without it being noticed (not a spoiler; this happens at the beginning of the story). And while I appreciate that this was a crime novel, there was the odd gruesome bit (such as a victim's face being smashed by a propeller) which felt added in just to try to make it more gritty; they cropped up very occasionally and felt out of place. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gratuitously gory at all.

These were all small issues but distracted from the story.

Overall, a decent book with a lot going on.

(March 2024)
3-3.25 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

ER from LT. Picked it because I have family in Oz and for the lead character‘s name, detective Ramesh Ryan. About 1/6 in. Decent writing, could use some editing (eg reverie not revelry, letter 4, blood wrenching cry) and polish - and fewer random exclamation marks! POV is 3rd person but can suddenly switch between people which disrupts the narrative flow.

1/3 in. There's the odd gruesome bit (eg victim's face being smashed by propeller) which feels added in to try to make it more gritty. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gory at all.
A character called F. has just been introduced. Not sure yet if it's their name (there are lots of weird 'gang-type' names) or a clumsy attempt to obscure their identity.

I'm appreciating the continuity between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. And the random exclamation marks seem to have disappeared but there are a few brand names scattered around. Sentences tend to be a bit short which chops up the flow.
Easy to put down but easy to pick up again. Good plotting.
Fair number of words used wrongly. No idea how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

Ramesh Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective until he loses a sure-fire front page news case against a drug king-pin and is asked to move to the Central Coast town of Barton for his health. Coincidentally a drug shipment is mishandled and bodies start turning up in droves just after Ryan arrives. Plus there's a 15 year old mystery tangled in. (set in 2021, published 2024)

Oh, I'm so glad you decided to start a thread! I'm looking forward to being sprayed by book bullets in here. The Dead Romantics looks very promising.

I'm enjoying your reviews so much! I adore the Penderwicks series; there are little details that give away that they are set in the present day, but they have a timeless feel to them. I agree with most of your points about Fourth Wing - so many plotholes, too much insta-lust, and not enough dragons. I described it to my friend as the author saying "This is an ADULT book! Characters die! And have sex! And say f*ck a lot" But emotionally all the characters act like 13 year olds.

Anyway I wish you more great reading this year!

Thank you for your reviews :) I am enjoying this thread. I have no intention of reading Fourth Wing, there has been too much hype of the kind that I don't trust, but I like reading the reviews, both the positive and the negative ones.

>27 clamairy: Thank you Clare! I usually get hit with BBs more than send them out - but I do seem to be having more luck lately. The Dead Romantics was fun.

>28 Sakerfalcon: Thank you Claire! I had assumed the Penderwicks were set way back when before I actually read the first one but I love that timeless feel.

To be honest, I sneaked a look at a couple of threads to get an idea of how to set up and I read your review. But even the dragons in Fourth Wing were problematic for me.

>29 Alexandra_book_life: You're welcome Alexandra. Well, we all have different likes and dislikes and it's good to read a variety of opinions. If I'm not sure if I want to read a book I'll look at the reviews to get an idea. At this point in time, I don't intend continuing with the Fourth Wing series - but never say never.

>17 humouress: Thank you for your detailed review on Fourth Wing, seems like the missing plot details and some of the other inconsistencies would bother me too much to enjoy it.

>33 Karlstar: I'm glad you like my review :0)

To be honest, I've seen others on LT who've read the sequel and enjoyed it inspite of the gaping plot holes. For me, there were too many things that irked me piled on top of one another and - for the time being, at least - I don't intend to continue with the series.

21) The Guidal: Discovering Puracordis by Roxy Eloise

{First in The Guidal series; future, young adult, YA, magic, LTER}(2021)

  

I received this as an Early Reviewer book a while ago and decided to read it now but I jumped in without re-reading the blurb (although in hindsight, like the majority of blurbs, it's rather florid and not completely accurate) so I was a bit lost at the beginning.

The year is 2119 and Aurora lives in the Boulderfell institute inside a glass dome in the city of Vencen. We meet her, and then spend over a year with her, when she has just turned sixteen and is moving from the Mustard section (the children's section) to the Navy section where she will become a Young Enforcer until she leaves after another thirteen years. One of the Youngens' duties is to patrol the city just before sunset and ensure that all citizens are off the streets.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

Narrated in the first person from Aurora's point of view the story starts with a dream/ memory of the time she was captured as a toddler and brought to the institute where she now lives - but she sees it from someone else's perspective. There is a hint that there is hidden magic in this world - Aurora's first class is a history class about witchcraft and 'maleficium' last being known in 1684. Magic is obviously to be abhorred and has been stamped out.

When she moves to the Navies, we find out that first Years have to do a Unity Assessment and then at the beginning of each year the system checks if any pairs 'match'. If anyone does (and it can be during any year, and with someone from any year group) then they are betrothed and do their duties together (and, if they want, they can also book in for classes together) and when they leave the institute they will get married first (but not before then). They are given bedrooms with interconnecting doors - but they are not allowed to sleep together on penalty of being imprisoned for thirty years, which was odd. Of course, Aurora matches.

I thought the overall story had an interesting concept but Aurora doesn't seem to do much during her day - and she inevitably does something (like being injured or punished) which ends up with her being excused from duties so she ends up doing even less. She seems to earn punishments easily, sometimes randomly, and there were sections where I didn't understand her reactions. Seioh (CEO?) Jensen, who heads the Institute, hands her some harsh and unnecessary-seeming punishments and she always dreads being called to his office - but (puzzlingly) at one point when she's very upset and doesn't know where to go or what to do she finds herself going to his office and zoning out for the day on his couch. And he ignores her and just carries on with his work.

She makes friends and enemies in her new section - including some of Seioh Boulderfell's children - and her friend group is good (oddly, she only seems to have known one of them before) but it would have been nice to see more/ stronger interactions with them and maybe a few more details of her day to day life to give the story some substance. We don't find out much about this world (which may or may not be a future version of our Earth) or even about the city or life outside the institute - in fact we only leave the institute with Aurora a couple of times - so the world view is vague and we don't even know how much power Boulderfell holds outside the institute. But this could be intentional at this point in the series.

I liked the story though I felt that the pacing could do with some polishing and tightening up. There were times that the narrative lagged for me, when Aurora seemed a bit childish and places where things were left unexplained or it jumped between events, leaving gaps, which had me feeling a bit lost and disgruntled. I found the endearments certain people used for Aurora ('my little Roar', 'Little Lady') awkwardly patronising. The story is similar to Fourth Wing (young people training in a martial institute, making friends and enemies, but the people in power are keeping secrets as to why things are done the way they are) but without the dragons and the explicitness; despite its loose cohesion I liked this book better.

And then it ends just when magic makes an appearance and it starts to really get interesting! I wish I had the next book to see where this goes.

(March 2024)
3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Told from 1st person POV. Aurora has a memory from someone else‘s pov of when she was captured as a toddler. 1/3 of the way in. Starts off well but now is losing its polish; things are left unexplained, it‘s started jumping between events leaving gaps and the tone is a bit young.
In 2119 she lives in a domed institute where they train to be Young Enforcers of sunset curfew in the city of Vencen. Magic is abhored & has been stamped out

At 16 she‘s just moved to the adult section. Some of them are betrothed so they get interconnected rooms and are paired for duties and marry when they leave at 30 but if they do anything before that they‘re sent to prison for 30 years and any baby is taken by the institute

It‘s a lot like ‘Fourth Wing‘ but without the dragons or (thankfully) the explicitness. Ch 10; starting to get intriguing

Aagh! Ends just as it gets going. Wish I had the next book to see where it goes.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

Yes, it's another ER book and, yes, I am trying to catch up on my ER reviews :0) Plus they contribute to my alphabetical ROOTs project (reading books from my own shelves) even though they're from my virtual shelves, since I only get e-books via Early Reviewers.

Last year we did some renovations around the house including creating a mini library and building more cupboards for my books (yay!). I thought I would be responsibly green (and save some dosh) by moving the old cupboards into the new library and building the new cupboards around them. Unfortunately - after I'd brought my books back from storage, cleaned them up and re-shelved them - I discovered a film of powder forming on the inside surfaces of the old bookshelves, despite having spent days cleaning and polishing them. I was in denial at first but I've come to accept that it's most likely mould 😭 - which means that all the books in those shelves will have to be deep cleaned again. But my eczema has flared up again, probably from the last bout of cleaning, so I'm waiting for that to resolve first. In the meantime, those books are temporarily inaccessible so (long story short) it's useful to have e-books by authors in those sections of the alphabet.

22) Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan

>36 humouress: I'm so sorry about the mould. (And the eczema!) Hope you get the books and shelves cleaned up soon.

>36 humouress: Sorry to hear that, how do you get rid of the mold on/in the books?

>36 humouress: Oh, I am sorry to hear about the eczema and the mold! I hope you can sort it out.

>38 clamairy: Thank you Clare. I'm ... well, not looking forward to all the cleaning, but I'd like to get rid of the mould as soon as possible.

>39 Karlstar: Thanks Jim. There doesn't seem to be mould visible on the books (touch wood). I've gone the expensive route and put dust jackets on my books (I don't believe in deaccessioning) so I'll have to (carefully) remove each jacket and wipe it and the book down. I'll admit that some of them do smell a bit musty but I don't know what to do about that. Suggestions welcome!

I've heard that clove oil is good for preventing mould so I'm planning on trying that. I'm wondering if I made a mistake in polishing the bookcases and shelves with wood oil.

>40 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks Alexandra. Fingers crossed I can sort it out soon.

>42 humouress: Unfortunately I don't know but I'll look into it. There is the Book Care and Repair group here on LT if you haven't checked there.

If the books smell musty, don't put them back with clean books or clean shelves. Try the freezer.

>44 Karlstar: I did post there (I think it was there; there were a couple of groups I asked in), thanks.

>45 reconditereader: And, yes, the freezer was a suggestion. I'll have to do that when I'm ready to start cleaning, which will mean making space in the freezer. I suppose I'll just have to eat a lot of ice cream and bacon. Such hardship.

>46 humouress: I see you did last year, sorry about that, I was looking for posts from 2024.

>45 reconditereader: From when I read The Library Book, she described freezing as the first step in the process of saving moldy books? What's next?

Oops, I haven't updated my thread in a while. I'm still waiting for the eczema to clear up so I can do my shelves. I just hope the delay isn't making that situation worse.

But I have been reading. I'll add the books I've read ....

23) Agatha Raisin and The Potted Gardener & The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton

{third of 34+3 in Agatha Raisin series; detective, murder, village life, Cotswolds, comedy, audiobook, BBC adaptation}(2010)

 

The Potted Gardener

I enjoyed the TV series of these books with Ashley Jensen and I loved listening to Penelope Keith in the full cast BBC dramatisation of the first two books, so I decided to continue on in the same vein. Ms Keith is back in Carsely playing Agatha Raisin and this time Agatha can't resist taking shortcuts to win the gardening competition. You'd think she would have learned her lesson after the Quiche of Death but after all, as she points out, the judge is hardly going to eat her garden.

But this is Aggie and of course there is a murder; one of the gardeners is, quite literally, potted. So she and her neighbour James Lacey (insert quote), following very strict orders from Detective Sergeant Bill Wong not to interfere, go ahead and investigate on their own.

Given that the whole audiobook (I think this and The Walkers of Dembley together) is around 2 hours long, I suspect that this dramatisation is an abridged version of the book and some details (like Chivers's - the marmalade cat - name; actually she seems to have two cats in the e-book) have been changed. I guessed who the murderer might be before they were revealed but I don't know if that would have been the case if I had read the book.

The mystery, as I heard it, wasn't the most mysterious but I love listening to Penelope Keith in this role and James is a good foil for Aggie. Her former employee, Roy, is back too. There are some hilarious moments and I'm looking forward to continuing on with The Walkers of Dembley.

(March 2024)
4-4.5 stars

24) Lirael

25) The School for Good and Evil

26) Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton

{fourth of 34+3 in Agatha Raisin series; detective, murder, mystery, crime, village life, Cotswolds, English countryside, comedy, audiobook, BBC adaptation}(2010)

 

Another instalment, listening to the lovely voice of Penelope Keith as Agatha. Having skimmed through the e-book of The Potted Gardener (looking for a quote after listening to the audiobook) I've concluded that these dramatisations are probably closer to the television adaptations than to the books themselves - not that I'm complaining.

This time Agatha - with James in tow - is asked to investigate by Sir Charles - for a fee, no less! - and clear his name after a rambler using the right of way over his fields is killed after a run-in with his estate manager. The rambler belonged to a group from a close by village called 'The Walkers of Dembley' so Agatha and James go under cover in a flat (supplied by Sir Charles) as a married couple (there are two beds) in the village and start asking questions.

I thought the mystery was solved rather quickly but I'm having such fun listening to Agatha and James!

(April 2024)
4 stars

27) The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

{stand-alone; fantasy, magic, children’s, young adult}(2021)

 

Sorcerers have an important job in Illyria - to protect the country against magical monsters, witches from the neighbouring country of Kel and the Dread - a strange purple cloud that can kill everyone in a village overnight. Everyone in their village has always known that Marya's brother, Luka, is destined to be a sorcerer and now the Council for the Magical Protection of Illyria has sent a letter to let his parents know that they're going to come and test him. But on the day of his evaluation a prank he pulled on Marya (in return for one that she pulled on him) goes wrong and Anton the goat - despite Marya's best efforts to stop him - causes a disaster which results in a letter coming to inform their parents that Marya has been invited (attendance is compulsory) to attend the Dragomir Academy for Troubled Girls where she will stay for the next six years, until she is eighteen.

When she gets there she discovers that she will receive an education including being taught to read (though she has already been taught by a friend) but there are lots of rules and regulations that the girls are expected to follow in the hopes of getting a good placement such as looking after a sorcerer's library. Like a lot of the other girls Marya has difficulty repressing her 'troublesome' instincts so they are often punished, as a whole class, if just one girl breaks the rules.

She feels that there is a mystery behind the creation of the Academy so she and her friend Elana set out to discover what it is. Gradually the girls realise that not all is as it seems at Dragomir - nor in the kingdom of Illyria - and maybe they should be questioning more and not just accepting what they're told.

I like the cover of the book, with the clouds of the Dread swirling around the towers of the school. (Oddly, though when Marya arrives she notices turrets sprouting off towers growing out of the school building, we don't see them on the inside, which is a shame.) And, may I say, I'm very glad that there is a map of the continent at the beginning of the book. (I wondered if the place names 'Torak' and 'Kel' were a nod to The Belgariad.)

I thought this was quite a gentle story though I did get wrapped up in the adventure. At one point, I admit, when Marya had just decoded the history of the Academy and decided that people in authority (the people who are hiding things from the girls) needed to know, so she took it to the headmaster - I couldn't look; I had to put the book down in the middle of a chapter. But then I was desperate to find out what happened (reader's dilemma) and of course I came back to it. I think, though, it is perfectly gauged for its target audience (the protagonist is around twelve years old) and should get them thinking. Part of the message throughout this book is that girls and women are treated as secondary to boys and men, who are automatically assumed to be superior in Illyria. Ursu keeps showing us this without telling us outright but lets the reader work it out:

That is not to say that girls and women did not matter to Illyria: behind every great tapestry was a woman who wove it, just as behind every great sorcerer was a wife to tend to his domestic affairs, a governess to teach his children, a cook to warm his gullet, a maid to keep his fires lit.

And behind every boy who dreamed of being a sorcerer was a mother who raised him to be brave, noble, and kind. And perhaps that boy even had a sister, who, right before the Council for the Magical Protection of Illyria finally visited his humble home to test him for a magical gift, made sure the chicken coop was spotless.

This is right at the beginning of chapter one, and introduces us to Marya as she's making sure that the chicken coop is spotless for the Council's visit. Though the focus is Marya's story, I liked the fact that she came to realise that behind her fighting with her brother there is genuine love and comradeship.

I could have been outraged at the difference in the way boys and girls were treated and brought up and the lengths that the men in power in Illyria go to to keep it that way in spite of the suffering it results in - but I think Ursu takes it a step further; she makes us think about why someone would be unwittingly complicit in being made to feel devalued and maybe, by doing so, gives young readers a chance to realise, if it is happening to them, that they can change it.

Everything is wrapped up satisfactorily (though the ending may have been a tad rushed - I was worried for a bit that I would have to look for a sequel to finish the story). I like the last lines of the book. I don't think it's a spoiler but, just in case, I'll hide them:

"We can do this," she said, eyes shining.

The other girls were grinning at her. They could do this. The Guild was still in power, the king still sat on his throne, but they could still remake the world.

There was more, so much more. ... They needed to tell their story in as many ways as they could. They needed to send letters, tell stories, weave, and embroider. They needed to tell the truth, to record it in a way that people would keep it. They were the troubled girls of Dragomir Academy - breaking, but never broken and they had stories to tell.

(April 2024)
3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

So glad there‘s a map at the beginning. She must be a fan of the Belgariad - place names include Torak and Kel 😊

I like the cover, with the Dread swirling around the Academy.

Just got to the part where 12 yo Marya has just decoded the history of the Academy and decides people need to know - so she‘s taking it to the headmaster and teachers. The people who are hiding things from the girls. I couldn‘t look. I had to put the book down in the middle of a chapter. But now I‘m desperate to find out what happened. Reader‘s dilemma 🤗

That is not to say that girls and women did not matter to Illyria: behind every great tapestry was a woman who wove it, just as behind every great sorcerer was a wife to tend to his domestic affairs, a governess to teach his children, a cook to warm his gullet, a maid to keep his fires fit.
And behind every boy who dreamed of being a sorcerer was a mother who raised him to be brave, noble, and kind. And perhaps that boy even had a sister, who, right before the Council for the Magical Protection of Illyria finally visited his humble home to test him for a magical gift, made sure the chicken coop was spotless.

"We can do this," she said, eyes shining.
The other girls were grinning at her. They could do this. The Guild was still in power, the king still sat on his throne, but they could still remake the world.
There was more, so much more. Now that the doors were open, ideas were flooding into Marya's head. They could learn the embroidery language. Madame Banda could come and teach them to weave. They needed to tell their story in as many ways as they could. They needed to send letters, tell stories, weave, and embroider. They needed to tell the truth, to record it in a way that people would keep it. They were the troubled girls of Dragomir Academy_-breaking, but never broken and they had stories to tell.

The beginning and ending. I like the last lines. I don‘t think it‘s spoilery but I‘ll hide it, just in case.

Part of the message throughout this book is that girls and women are treated as secondary to boys and men, who hold the power. Ursu isn‘t over subtle: That is not to say that girls and women did not matter to Illyria: behind every great tapestry was a woman who wove it, just as behind every great sorcerer was a wife to tend to his domestic affairs, a governess to teach his children, a cook to warm his gullet, a maid to keep his fires lit.

28) Stargazy Pie

29) Well, That was Unexpected

30) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

 

based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd

{stand alone; fantasy, magical realism, young adult, grief, dealing with illness, family}

Siobhan Dowd was an award winning children's author who died from breast cancer in 2007. She had the idea for this book, of a young boy with a mother very ill with cancer but did not get to write it before she died. Ness was asked to write the book, based on her idea. Reading it felt especially poignant knowing this background.

This book was heart-wrenching and so well written, but I don't know if I could read it again. It is told (in the third person) from the point of view of thirteen year old Connor O'Malley - an ordinary, decent boy, easy to identify with - whose mother is very sick. She has been through a few rounds of treatment, obviously for cancer, but the current round doesn't seem to be helping as well as it should. Connor's dad is out of the picture, having remarried and moved to America and his mum's mum is a no-nonsense sort of person whom Connor doesn't get on with at all (though we can see she does care about him). Meanwhile, Connor feels ostracised at school because everyone found out that his mum is sick and they walk on eggshells around him - except for Harry and his followers who constantly bully Connor.

But that's not the worst of it. Connor has a recurring nightmare, of darkness and hands slipping from his grasp which has him waking screaming in terror. So when the yew tree at the top of the hill that his mother always gazes at turns into a monster and breaks into his room, Connor isn't scared (which bewilders the monster a bit).

The monster's eyes widened. Who am I? it said, its voice getting louder. Who am I?
The monster seemed to grow before Conor's eyes, getting taller and broader. A sudden, hard wind swirled up around them, and the monster spread its arms out wide, so wide they seemed to reach to opposite horizons, so wide they seemed big enough to encompass the world.
I have had as many names as there are years to time itself! roared the monster. I am Herne the Hunter! I am Cernunnos! I am the eternal Green Man!
A great arm swung down and snatched Conor up in it, lifting him high in the air, the wind whirling around them, making the monster's leafy skin wave angrily.
Who am I? the monster repeated, still roaring. I am the spine that the mountains hang upon! I am the tears that the rivers cry! I am the lungs that breathe the wind! I am the wolf that kills the stag, the hawk that kills the mouse, the spider that kills the fly! I am the stag, the mouse and the fly that are eaten! I am the snake of the world devouring its tail! I am everything untamed and untameable! It brought Conor up close to its eye. I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O'Malley.
"You look like a tree," Conor said.
The monster squeezed him until he cried out.
I do not often come walking, boy, the monster said, only for matters of life and death. I expect to be listened to.
The monster loosened its grip and Conor could breathe again. "So what do you want with me?" Conor asked.
The monster gave an evil grin. The wind died down and a quiet fell. At last , said the monster. To the matter at hand. The reason I have come walking.

When is a monster not a monster?

The monster will tell Connor three stories and the fourth, well the fourth one will have to come from Connor and will be the story of his nightmare. And so we live Connor's life with him, at home, with his mum, at school, at night with the yew tree monster and even at the hospital.

Short and bitter-sweet. Beautifully written. I'm still dabbing at tears as I write this (and I never cry, I'll have you know).

Wikipedia tells me this was turned into a film in 2016 and later adapted into an award winning play. I see from other reviewers here that their versions had illustrations but, sadly, my e-book did not.

Recommended. When you're ready.

(May 2024)
5 stars

>51 humouress: I've never heard of The School for Good and Evil, what's it about and is it likely to make a good TV series?

>57 Karlstar: Sorry, I’m behind on my reviews. I’ll put it up as soon as I can.

It’s a kind of Hogwarts but with two sides of the school, where they train to be the heroes and villains of stories (literally). There’s a girl who’s been wanting to go to the good school all her life but she gets dropped off at the school for evil and spends all her time trying to get to the good school while her grouchy friend goes to the school for good and tries to escape home. I wasn’t impressed but it has, apparently, been turned into a TV series.

>58 humouress: It was a movie on Netflix

>59 jjwilson61: Ah, thanks.

The books series runs to 8 books, so I suppose it's quite popular. I have noticed it in the junior section of the bookshop.

31) Full Dark House

32) The Shadow Cats by Rae Carson



{first prequel of 3 prequels +4 in Fire and Thorns series; fantasy, young adult, adventure}(2012)

I borrowed this e-book because I was hit by a BB for The Girl of Fire and Thorns but I had to wait in line for it whereas this was ready to borrow straight away; I read it quickly last night because it was due to expire and I couldn't renew it but, fortunately, it has only 78 pages (on my tablet). It seems to be set in (a parallel) South America with jungles, deserts and jaguars.

Crown Princess Juana-Alodia de Riqueza of Orovalle has decided to journey to the edge of the kingdom to show support for the wedding of the Conde who holds an important fortress there and shore up Orovalle's defences, with war threatening. She is also accompanied by her 15 year old sister, Lucero-Elisa, who seems to be the heroine of the main series, whom Alodia loves but feels is politically inept. However, when they get there after a less than comfortable journey, no one seems happy to see them. Though it is late spring and the weather has been very good, there are no crops in the fields. And a shadow cat has been heard screaming in the nights, which is enough to make the bride's superstitious father think of calling off this politically important union. When the bride's beloved niece disappears, with signs that the jaguar has taken her, Alodia decides to take action herself and win the people of Khelia's loyalty for Orovalle.

This is narrated in the first person in the present tense which, personally, I find awkward. The short length of this novella does mean that some details are skimped on; for example I thought the fight scene was too quick for me to be invested in. Other than that, I thought it was well written (though the title isn't entirely apt). And I did manage to borrow The Girl of Fire and Thorns so I will be reading that too, soon.

(May 2024)
3.5 stars

So Books Kinokuniya has a members' sale last week (20% off ) so I went a bit wild with my Wishlist. I think I effectively got one and a half free books with the discount.

The Empty Grave - Lockwood & Co Series Book 5 by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co: The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy: Book 3 (Lockwood & Co., 3) by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co: The Whispering Skull: Book 2 by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase: Book 1 (Lockwood & Co., 1) by Jonathan Stroud (see >20 humouress:)

Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow Series, 2) by Margaret Owen

Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow Series, 1) by Margaret Owen (see >18 humouress:)

>63 humouress: Very nice! I am happy for you :)))

>64 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you :0)

Been lurking a lot lately. But congratulations on your haul from the sale there in >63 humouress:.

>66 jillmwo: Thanks :0)

To be fair, I lurk a lot, too. (Not in a sinister way, of course.)

>67 humouress: Lurking is a way of life!
Congrats on the haul.

>68 clamairy: Thank you :0)