Fantasy

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic / Breanne Randall

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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

By: Breanne Randall

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Number of Pages: 322

Published: September 19, 2023

Publisher: Alcove Press

Dates Read: December 16, 2023 - December 20, 2023

Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Paperback

Ever since Sadie Revelare was told about her four heartbreak curse that accompanies her magic, she’s never doubted the price wouldn’t be worth it. But when Gigi, her grandmother, is diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake, returns after being gone for a decade, Sadie’s life feels like it’s unraveling and her magic can’t fix it. Even more, upon hearing about Gigi’s diagnosis, Sadie’s estranged twin brother, Seth, returns as well, uncovering family secrets that will tear her world apart.

Gigi has been the backbone to the Revelare family for generations, and with her death, Sadie must try with everything she’s got, to not only keep her family together, but her magic as well. As her feelings for Jake begin to respark, Sadie must decide if love is more important than her magic.

I don’t actively go about reading romance books, but this had the tagline “for fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls” and I decided to give this a shot. I absolutely called the ending pretty early into the book, especially once everything was established. Though I was a little confused about Sadie’s curse… I still am to be honest. Also – witches who go to a christian church? What?

Overall, the book was okay. The premise of it was excellent, but it fell short for me.

*Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Rose Wolves / Natalie Warner

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Rose Wolves
By: Natalie Warner
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s
Number of Pages: 80
Published: May 11, 2020
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Dates Read: November 22, 2023
Format: eBook

In this wordless graphic novel, a little girl picks an unusual flower from a bush in the forest. Overnight, the flower blooms and turns into a rose wolf, missing a leg just like the little girl is missing an arm. Together, the duo must go on a journey to find where they belong.

I love me a wordless graphic novel – so when I saw this on my library’s Hoopla, I immediately checked it out without even looking at the description (I already loved the artwork on the cover). I did NOT need to get teary eyed at nine o’clock in the morning!

This is so cute! And adorable!

The art is simple and easy to follow and of course, there are no words to it – just a heart in a speech bubble and a few “!”.

Overall, I’ll be recommending this book to others who enjoy just a cute, cozy, quick graphic novel read (I already did for three coworkers this morning).

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night / Amélie Wen Zhao

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Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
By: Amélie Wen Zhao
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Number of Pages: 480
Published: January 3, 2023
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Dates Read: November 8, 2023 - November 13, 2023
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

Lan has always had a strange mark burned into her arm by her dying mother – a mark that only she can see, until one night, a boy who saves her, can see it; Zen. Zen’s a practitioner – one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic is rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with and now must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.

Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep – ones they must hide from others and ones they must still discover themselves. Both hold the power to liberate their land – or to destroy the world.

I originally tried reading this a while ago and couldn’t get into it right then – it’s a heavy fantasy, with an a-mazing world building. When I first read it, I couldn’t place myself in the world. Quite a few months later, I was able to get ahold of the audiobook from my library and listen to it. That’s where I fell into the world fast.

This book reads, to me, like an epic movie. I could see all the fight scenes perfectly, the mood was easily set and understandable. But, again, this may be a series where I listen to the audiobooks of them because there was so much info dump to get you set into the world and the scenes that, to me, I was able to visualize a little better when I heard it, rather than when I saw it.

This is the first book of a series though, so it gets to have the info dumps. I’m still excited to read the second book in the series and have already put a hold of it at the library.

Overall, this is a wonderful fantasy book based in Chinese Folklore and Mythology that I can see a great deal of readers enjoying – especially those who really like to get dropped into a world totally unlike ours currently.

*Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Herc / Phoenicia Rogerson

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Herc
By: Phoenicia Rogerson
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 384
Published: September 5, 2023
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Dates Read: October 31, 2023 - November 6, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: violence, death, murder, (ya know, Greek Gods’ stuff)

Herc is a retelling of Hercules told by the people around him and how he impacted their lives – for better or worse.

So, upon reading this, I realized that I only knew the Disney version of Hercules – totally and absolutely so much different. <spoiler> It was the children’s killing that made my jaw hit the floor </spoiler>

I mostly listened to this in an audiobook and it had a whole ensemble of characters and voices, which was great because it helped with keeping everyone straight. It also gave Hercules a layered and complicated life (again, one I did NOT know about because I knew only of the Disney version). The different voices also gave way to some humor with it too because everyone obviously had different experiences with him through his life.

Overall, I’m going to be recommending this to quite a few people, especially those who like mythology and retellings. Also, this is such a nice twist of the telling of Hercules because it’s not really about him, but more about the people he had interactions with throughout his life.

*Thank you Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

That Self-Same Metal / Brittany N. Williams

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That Self-Same Metal
By: Brittany N. Williams
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Dates Read: October 29, 2023 - October 31, 2023
Format: ARC / Library Book / Audiobook

Trigger Warnings: racism (including blackface), sexism, murder, violence

Sixteen-year-old Joan Sands is a “gifted” craftswoman who creates and upkeeps the stage blades for William Shakespeare’s acting company. Joan’s gift comes from a magical ability she was blessed with from her Head Orisha, Ogun. Because her entire family is Orisha-blessed, they’ve kept tabs on the Fae presence in London. Usually, they just see a faint glow around a Fae’s body as they try their best to blend in with regular society. After a pack has been broken though, the rise of brutal Fae attacks has risen. After saving the son of a cruel Lord from a Fae attack, Joan gets thrusted into the political world of humans and Fae.

The writing really shows the author’s background in theater and acting and of the historical time period (including the treatment of Black people living in London, which I hadn’t known about). 

Some of the parts didn’t interest me as much, but I did really enjoy the fight scenes as I felt like they were well written. There could have been a lot going on, but I would never feel like I was lost but rather right in the middle of swords swinging around.

Overall, this was a fun and action-packed YA fantasy with an alternative history twist. I can see YA fantasy readers and those who love theater enjoying this book with the twist of Shakespeare. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for the next book in the series to continue with Joan and her story.

The Spells We Cast / Jason June

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The Spells We Cast
By: Jason June
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 352
Published: October 2, 2023
Publisher: Melissa de la Cruz Studio
Dates Read: October 25, 2023 - October 27, 2023
Format: Library Book / Audiobook / Hardcover

Nigel Barrett spent his whole life preparing for the Culling – a spell-casting competition that determines which of the world’s teenage magicians get to keep their powers, and those who will be stripped of them, in order to keep and preserve the magical balance. He’d been ready – until he met Ori Olson.

The moment they meet, sparks fly, their powers are stronger, more thrilling, but also it seems, more dangerous. As the Culling field gets more and more narrow, Nigel and Orio realize just how much is at stake – and it may very well ride on the connection between them.

I don’t know where I saw this being marketed as “magical gay cowboys” but I grabbed this as soon as I could because of it. And boy, did it not disappoint! I also don’t know what it is about teenagers and them being on the verge of losing their magic forever that gets me into these stories, but I’m down.

I did give out quite a few eye rolls when Nigel would talk about his breakup with Jeremy. He’d talk about how he knew they wouldn’t work out and listed all this stuff – but then would compare interactions with Ori to Jeremy and I’d be sitting there going, “It’s not the same!”. And, the whole insta-romance thing is never my type. This book happens over 3 days!! <spoiler> I know this plays on soulmates, but it’s still a bit too fast </spoiler>.

But, even though I didn’t care all that much for the romance aspect of it (or rather, the pining on Nigel’s part for a partner who is no longer even in the photo), I still enjoyed the novel and its story. It ended on a cliffhanger and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the sequel for sure!

*Thank you Melissa de la Cruz Studio and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

The Collectors / Edited By: A.S. King

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The Collectors
Edited By: A.S. King
Genre: Short Stories, YA
Number of Pages: 272
Published: September 19, 2023
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: October 23, 2023 - October 25, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

The Collectors is an anthology of stories by well known young adult authors about characters and their strange collections.

I haven’t really reviewed an anthology of stories from different authors before, so here’s my doing my best.

Play House: Took me a minute to get into it, but then enjoyed it.

The White Savior Does Not Save the Day: This was okay for me – it delivered a well written story, but I don’t know how I feel about it still, even two days after reading it.

Take It From Me: I can still actively “see” scenes from this story even now. The banana stickers on the wall, the locked box of doubts – it was a vivid story.

Ring of Fire: Metaphor about grief, but was kind of left confused a little at the end.

Museum of Misery: Impactful. A big punch with little words but pictures said everything.

La Concha: I couldn’t always follow this one. I felt like there were some big pieces missing from it.

Pool Bandits: One of my favorites just because of the length these boys went to to skate. My partner is a skater and I understand that culture a lot.

We Are Looking For Home: Another story I didn’t quite understand and even in the end, I don’t know what it was about??

A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes: This was beautiful and heartwarming. I feel like everyone nowadays possibly knows someone who has Dementia or Alzheimer’s. My grandmother had dementia and just passed away at the beginning of this month and these stories will always make me think of her.

Sweet Everlasting: A crazy and kind of scary concept of being stuck in the “moment they wish could last forever”

The ones I loved: Take It from Me / David Levithan, Pool Bandits / G. Neri, A Recording for Carole Before It All Goes / Jason Reynolds, and Sweet Everlasting / M.T. Anderson

Overall, there were some wonderful and great stories, and others that I just couldn’t get into – doesn’t mean they weren’t good and others wouldn’t enjoy them though!

*Thank you Dutton Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) / Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1) /

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The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Triology #1)
By: Katherine Arden, Kathleen Gati (Narrator)
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 347
Published: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Del Rey 
Dates Read: October 12, 2023 - October 19, 2023
Format: Audiobook, Library Book, Paperback

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year. Vasilia isn’t bothered much by the amount of time she has to spend indoors, because she gets to listen to her nurse’s fairy tales while huddled around the fire with her family. 

After Vailisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Vasilia’s new stepmother forbids the family from honoring the household spirits – all the family follows, except for Vasilia, who can see the spirits, knows they must continue. But because the others have stopped, crops begin to fail, evil creatures come closer and closer to their house and village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother is determined to groom the rebelliousness out of Vasilisa in order to marry her off or ship her off for a life in a convent.

I did mostly listen to this in audiobook because I wanted to make sure I could pronounce the Russian names correctly – I was not the first two chapters of the book – but the narrations of Katheleen Gati were amazing and really put me into the storyline of Katherine Arden.

Arden did a fantastic job of taking us on a journey into this magical, historical world of Russian folklore, mythology, and fairytales. She does amazing at teleporting you into the cold, bitter frost of their winters. It’s also so very much a page turner that keeps you hooked from the very beginning – a little slow, but still a page turner. I’m pretty excited to continue on with the series.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to those who love a good historical fiction mixed with mythology and folklore. This is also a good book to read curled up under a thick blanket with a warm drink in hand too.

Confetti Realms / Nadia Shammas

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Confetti Realms
By: Nadia Shammas, Karnessa (Artist), Hackto Oshiro (Colorist), Micah Meyers (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel
Number of Pages: 196
Published: October 17, 2023
Publisher: Maverick
Dates Read: October 3, 2023
Format: ARC / eBook

On Halloween night a group of teens are transported from a graveyard into another realm where they must collect molars in order to return home.

I loved the art of this graphic novel – the cover alone is what caught my attention. Throughout the entire novel, the art was clear and smoothed allowing easy reading.

What I felt fell a little short was that they were in this crazy and a bit ridiculous world and we only ever get a glimpse at it. I would get lost within the panels a bit and not pay that much attention to what’s in the speech bubbles because I was more interested in the background. Which is kind of what brings me to the part where I had a hard time understanding the characters – to me, it felt like they weren’t flushed out as much as they could have been. A lot of their bickering was repetitive.

I’m also not entirely sure I know what happened at the end??

I’ll try and reread it one of these days, but right now it just wasn’t for me.

*Thank you Maverick for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Weaver and the Witch Queen / Genevieve Gornichec

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The Weaver and the Witch Queen
By: Genevieve Gornichec
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 424
Published: July 25, 2023
Publisher: Ace
Dates Read: September 28, 2023 - October 3, 2023
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Gunnhild, Oddny, and Signy have been best friends since they were little. After a visit from a wisewoman who makes an ominous prophecy involving the girls, the three take a blood oath to always help one another.

Years after Gunnhild had run away from her cruel mother, Oddny and Signy’s farm gets raided and Signy gets taken. Oddny and Gunnhild are reunited in their journey to stop at nothing to save Signy. Oddny, who was spiraled out of the life she always imagined, finds herself drawn to one of the raiders who participated in the attack. Gunnhild, who fled her childhood home to learn the ways of the witch, is surprised to find her destiny intertwined with King Eirik, heir apparent to the ruler of all Norway.

But the bonds the women have are strong and on the journey to save Signy, these bonds will be tested and stretched in ways they never could have seen.

Just like The Witch’s Heart, I absolutely loved and devoured this novel. I also adored the characters – even with all their flaws. All of the side characters stood strong on their own as well and I always wanted to hear and read about all of them.

Everything about this book was captivating and absorbing for me. Genevieve Gornichec has always done an amazing job at getting me into ancient settings and keeping me there throughout the entire book. I could practically picture myself there.

I didn’t know much about Icelandic and/or Norwegian folklore or sagas before this (some Norse Mythology). I really enjoy when a historical fiction book also teaches me things as well – or gives me something to look up and research myself afterwards. 

I would highly recommend this book – especially those who like historical Norwegian fiction. And for those who liked The Witch’s Heart and are wondering if you’ll like this one too – I say give it a shot!

*Thank you Ace and NetGalleyfor an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review